The US government has begun a wave of mass layoffs of federal employees.

(CLO) The US government began laying off hundreds of employees at many federal agencies on Thursday, as President Donald Trump and Elon Musk accelerated plans to clean up the bureaucracy.

According to union and government employee sources, the emails announcing the layoffs were sent out in the past 48 hours, mainly targeting new hires on probation.

President Donald Trump (right) and billionaire Elon Musk. Photo: GI

The agencies affected include the Department of Education, the Small Business Administration (SBA), the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), and the General Services Administration (GSA).

It is not yet clear how many employees will be affected in the first wave of layoffs, but according to government figures, about 280,000 civilian employees have been hired in the past two years, most of whom are still on probation, making them more vulnerable to termination.

All probationary employees at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) were fired in a group call on Thursday and told to leave its Washington headquarters. OPM also met with other government agencies and recommended that they fire probationary employees, with some exceptions.

Typically, civil servants can only be fired for poor performance or misconduct, and they have the right to appeal. However, employees who are still on probation have fewer legal protections.

While Mr. Trump continues to defend his policy of shrinking government, Musk and his team at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have expanded the scope of reforms, including gaining access to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) data system and asking US embassies to prepare for staff cuts.

Mr Trump has claimed that the government is too big and wasteful. The US government currently has a debt of $36 trillion and a budget deficit of $1.8 trillion over the past year. While both parties agree that government reform is needed, many experts have criticized Musk’s heavy-handed approach.

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said about 75,000 employees, or 3% of the civilian workforce, had signed up for the voluntary furlough program. The deadline to join the program ended Wednesday evening.

Trump has tasked Musk and his team at DOGE with overhauling the 2.3 million-employee federal bureaucracy. DOGE operatives have gone into at least 16 government agencies, accessed sensitive personnel and financial data systems, and ordered employees to resign.

Despite lawsuits from unions and Democratic attorneys general, Mr. Trump has continued with his sweeping overhaul plan. Some Republican financial experts have also expressed concern that the policy is more ideological than a genuine effort to save money.

This wave of layoffs not only reshapes the US administrative apparatus but can also have a major impact on the country's politics, economy and foreign relations in the coming time.

Cao Phong (according to CNN, Reuters)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/chinh-phu-my-bat-dau-lan-song-sa-thai-hang-loat-cac-cong-chuc-lien-bang-post334472.html