Since Donald Trump’s presidency began, he and his administration have made some controversial moves, but one of the most talked about has been the firing of thousands of federal employees. This move has caused confusion between the government and the workers, as it is unclear exactly what action is being taken. According to National Public Radio, “Already, the Department of Education is moving forward with a proposal to get rid of nearly half its workforce, the Department of Veterans Affairs is targeting a reduction of 80,000 employees”. 

These firings have come to reduce government spending to relieve money from the national debt from Donald Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency also more commonly known as Doge, run by billionaire Elon Musk. The department is aiming to reduce this spending by firing federal workers, however, a lot of people are speaking out against these actions condemning the government after thousands of people lost their jobs and income. 

In response, a couple of federal judges have come out and spoken out against this saying it is unconstitutional. They believe that it is within their rights to reduce their workforce but they have to do it within the restrictions of the law. According to NPR the proper steps to the cutting of federal forces are to first, identify the positions that may be affected, second they’re supposed to consider other options, third and finally they need to notify Congress of the decision of the cutting, and then give the workers their notice. 

Additionally, some of the agencies that have been cut are the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Education Department which cut nearly 50% of its staff, the Defense Department memo, the Social Security Administration, the General Services Administration’s Public Buildings Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and many more (NPR). This will result in thousands of federal workers being fired and losing their jobs.

However, due to the backlash from the court cases many of the federal firings have been reversed due to court orders. Several judges have also called agencies to reinstate the workers that have been fired. The federal government is fighting against this as White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says “Singular district court judges cannot abuse the power of the entire judiciary to thwart the President’s agenda.”

The lack of direction has caused some confusion with the people being fired, the agencies, and the federal government. According to CBS News, most of the workers who have been rehired are on full pay leave as they await the outcome. The Human Resource officials in the federal government have already been warned of the significant confusion the reinstatement can cause. 

As time moves forward the agencies that have cut their workers must outline a “positive vision for more productive, efficient agency operations,” by April 14th according to the OPM memo. This would allow for the relocation of the workers who were cut and allow them to find work in different areas. The agencies must also provide an exact reason for the firings and how it will benefit the USA.