Protesters rally outside of the Office of Personnel Management on Feb. 5, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Alex Wong/Getty Images
Federal agencies are still firing probationary employees—most recently the Navy
President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk, who is leading an initiative to reduce government spending, seek to shrink the federal workforce. Here are the departments and agencies where we have confirmed firings have taken place. We will update as we learn more.
Updated as of 3:33 p.m. on March 9
The Trump administration has begun firing federal employees who are in their probationary periods, which can include longtime government employees that were recently hired or promoted into new positions, but are typically those hired within the past one to two years. Such workers have weaker civil service job protections.
The Office of Personnel Management previously asked agencies to compile lists of their probationary employees and, in some cases, federal offices warned such individuals they could be imminently fired.
Based on OPM data, as of May 2024, more than 200,000 federal employees have been hired within the last year. Probationers can still appeal to the Merit Systems Protection Board if they allege the firings took place for partisan political reasons.
Here are the departments and agencies where Government Executive has confirmed firings have taken place. We will update as we learn more. If known, we also note the approximate number of affected employees and our more in-depth reporting is linked where available:
Agriculture Department - USDA originally fired 6,000 probationary employees, but has since been ordered by the Merit Systems Protection Board to reinstate them.
- Forest Service - 2,400
- Food and Nutrition Service - number unconfirmed, but termination notices at FNS were obtained by Government Executive
Commerce Department
- National Weather Service - number unconfirmed, but a source familiar told Government Executive the termination letters went out Tuesday.
- National Institute of Standards and Technology: 73
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: 650
- International Trade Administration: 46
- Bureau of Industry and Security: 15
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau - More than 70 employees, according to a court filing from the National Treasury Employees Union
Defense Department - Defense plans to fire 5,400 probationary employees. As of March 7, at least the Defense Logistics Agency and the Navy had begun firing or placing on administrative leave civilian probationary staff.
Education Department - 60 members of the bargaining unit, according to the American Federation of Government Employees
Energy Department - number unconfirmed, but employees shared their notices with Government Executive.
- National Nuclear Security Administration - number unconfirmed
Environmental Protection Agency - EPA fired 388 employees on Friday, according to an agency spokesperson. Employees there told Government Executive they learned of their dismissals verbally from their managers but had not received their official notices as of Friday afternoon. The agency fired less than half of its probationary staff and a spokesman said EPA completed a "thorough review of agency functions" before deciding whom to dismiss.
"President Trump was elected with a mandate to create a more effective and efficient federal government that serves all Americans, and we are doing just that," the spokesperson said, though all the termination notices across government to date have suggested the firings were for poor performance.
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation - FDIC sent out termination notices beginning Feb. 17. The agency would not confirm the number of employees impacted, but one worker who was fired said it impacted all the probationary staff on their team and had not heard of any new hires being carved out. FDIC employees were presented with an option to resign instead of being fired.
Federal Housing Finance Agency - FHFA has fired 15 probationary employees, according to an employee briefed on the situation. Probationers deemed mission critical have not been impacted.
General Services Administration - at least 100
Health and Human Services Department - A spokesman confirmed the firings had taken place at the department, but declined to specify how many employees were impacted. "HHS is following the administration’s guidance and taking action to support the president’s broader efforts to restructure and streamline the federal government," said Andrew Nixon, the spokesman. "This is to ensure that HHS better serves the American people at the highest and most efficient standard."
- National Institutes of Health - NIH has placed 1,100 probationary employees on administrative leave and plans to fire at least 1,000 of them by March 14.
Homeland Security Department - DHS has fired around more than 600 employees scattered throughout the department. According to DHS spokespeople, that has broken down as follows:
- Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency: More than 130 employees
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services: Fewer than 50 employees
- Federal Emergency Management Agency: More than 200 employees
- Science and Technology: 10 employees
- Transportation Security Administration: 243 employees. A spokesman said TSA fired the employees due to performance and conduct issues.
Housing and Urban Development Department - Number unconfirmed, but Government Executive has obtained termination notices sent to probationary HUD employees Feb. 14.
Interior Department - 2,300 employees, according to internal communications obtained by Government Executive.
Labor Department - Total number unconfirmed, but Government Executive confirmed termination notices went out to employees on Wednesday. Labor has rehired 120 of its probationary staff, according to the American Federation of Government Employees.
Office of Personnel Management - number unconfirmed
NASA - NASA began firing employees on Tuesday, according to multiple sources. Cheryl Warner, a NASA spokesperson, said it was "premature" to discuss the exact impact on the agency. NASA has temporarily exempted employees at some of its facilities, including the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland and the Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama, according to a source familiar with the matter.
National Archives and Records Administration - NARA has fired 64 probationary employees, according to a staffer briefed on the terminations. Twenty-nine of those employees worked at presidential libraries, and the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum was forced to briefly close Tuesday. Facilities will be short staffed, museum programming will be limited and record retrieval—such as those for veterans—is likely to see backlogs, the employee said, noting more than 15% of the workforce has left in recent weeks due to the firings, retirements or deferred resignations.
National Science Foundation - NSF took sweeping action to dismiss its probationary employees on Tuesday, according to multiple employees and internal communications obtained by Government Executive. The agency has confirmed 168 employees were fired on Tuesday. NSF has begun to walk back about half of those firings.
Small Business Administration - number unconfirmed
Transportation Department
- Federal Transit Administration - multiple FTA employees told Government Executive they had been informed by their managers they would be let go Friday, though they had yet to receive their official notices.
- Federal Aviation Administration - somewhere between 200 and 300 employees have so far been fired, according to the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists union that represents some of the FAA workforce, including maintenance mechanics, aeronautical information specialists, environmental protection specialists, aviation safety assistants and management and program assistants. The termination notices arrived from a non-.gov email address on Friday evening starting at 7 p.m. PASS President David Spero called the firings "dangerous" and "especially unconscionable in the aftermath of three deadly aircraft accidents in the past month."
Treasury Department
- Bureau of Engraving and Printing - Total unconfirmed, but Government Executive received a copy of a termination notice from the bureau.
- Internal Revenue Service: IRS is planning to fire 6,700 probationary employees, beginning Feb. 20. Employees were instructed to report to their offices beginning Thursday with all of their government equipment and documents.
U.S. Department of Government Efficiency Service (formerly U.S. Digital Service) - number unconfirmed
Veterans Affairs Department - 2,400
This story has been updated with information throughout and to reflect a revised number of impacted EPA employees, according to the agency.