The mass firings of federal workers have begun, and Washington’s bureaucratic class is panicking. On Thursday, the Trump administration met with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and gave a clear directive: fire federal employees still on probationary status.
According to NBC News, this could put hundreds of thousands of recent hires in the crosshairs. These are not longtime career bureaucrats—they’re new employees who haven’t yet gained full civil service protections. And some of them could be gone within days.
The federal government ballooned under Biden, adding tens of thousands of workers to agencies already drowning in inefficiency. But under Trump’s leadership, there’s a new focus on accountability, efficiency, and results—not permanent employment for the sake of job security.
An OPM spokesperson laid it out in simple terms:
“The probationary period is a continuation of the job application process, not an entitlement for permanent employment.”
Translation? No one is entitled to a taxpayer-funded government job.
The probationary period exists for a reason—to evaluate performance before someone is locked into a protected, nearly impossible-to-fire position. Now, agencies are reviewing their workforces and cutting loose the dead weight.
Naturally, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is furious.
Union President Everett Kelley lashed out, calling it a “politically driven mass firing spree.” But let’s be honest—this is nothing more than accountability in action. Trump never hid his intentions:
- Federal workers refused to return to the office? Trump offered full severance through September—and 75,000 took the deal and left.
- Federal agencies bloated with unnecessary positions? Now, probationary employees are being let go before they become permanent fixtures of bureaucracy.
Breaking on @MSNBC:
The Trump admin has begun a mass firing of federal workers.
Office of Personnel Management officials met with agency leaders and advised them to dismiss probationary employees.
Hundreds of thousands of people could be affected.
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) February 14, 2025
