A day after the Trump administration ended its deferred resignation offer to the nation’s two million federal government employees, the administration on Thursday began mass layoffs across multiple federal agencies in a move that is expected to impact thousands of employees, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
The layoffs, part of Trump’s campaign pledge to slash the federal government, initially impacted probationary employees — recent hires who joined the federal workforce within the last one to two years, depending on the agency, and have fewer protections.
Based on the most recent data available, as of March 2024, there were approximately 150,000 federal workers — excluding Defense Department employees — with one year of service or less.
Among the agencies experiencing layoffs were the Department of Education, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Office of Personnel Management, the Environmental Protective Agency, the General Services Administration and the Small Business Administration.
Some additional agencies were also directed to begin their layoffs Thursday, sources said.
At some agencies, workers received written notice via email that they had been let go.
President Donald Trump speaks after Tulsi Gabbard was sworn in as the Director of National Intelligence in the Oval Office of the White House, Feb. 12, 2025, in Washington.
Jim Lo Scalzo/pool/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
At OPM, workers joined a call with a prerecorded message from the acting director notifying them of their firing, according to someone familiar with the call. About 200 probationary workers were on the call, sources said.
“Good afternoon, thank you for taking the time to meet with me today. This is a difficult conversation, and I want to be direct, while also ensuring that you have all the information and support that you need,” acting OPM Director Charles Ezell told probationary employees, according to an audio recording of the call, obtained by ABC News. He told the employees they were being laid off and instructed them to “gather your personal belongings and exit the premises.”
Ezell closed the meeting by expressing hope that those fired would “use this as an opportunity for your next step forward.”
Prior to the layoffs, agencies had been directed by OPM, which acts as the federal government’s HR agency, to compile lists of probationary employees at their agencies, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
Officials told ABC News that more than 73,000 federal accepted the administration’s buyout offer, which offered full pay and benefits until September for any federal employee who accepted the deferred resignation.
