President Donald Trump might be backtracking some of the Department of Government Efficiency-led mass layoffs. The Trump administration says it is moving to reinstate more than 24,000 probationary workers it fired as part of its efforts to slash the size of the federal workforce, court documents filed Monday show.
This move comes in response to the order passed by two federal judges last week, that ordered Trump and his administration to temporarily reinstate thousands of probationary workers who were fired.
It is being reported that officials from 18 departments and agencies gave signed statements explaining their compliance and how their teams are working to rehire the fired workers to follow court orders.
Officials also said that while their departments and agencies were working to reinstate probationary employees, “an appellate ruling could reverse the district court’s order shortly after terminated employees have been reinstated.”
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“In short, employees could be subjected to multiple changes in their employment status in a matter of weeks,” the officials said. The Trump administration and the courts are going back and forth resulting in the instability of the federal government.
“I feel like I’m being gaslighted,” said Sarah Boim, a former communications specialist at the agency on Tuesday. “What I’m being told [is that] my experience is so deeply different than what my real experience is. It’s disconcerting, and it makes me angry.”
In 2025, significant layoffs occurred across U.S. federal agencies, with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cutting its scientific research office, potentially affecting over 1,000 employees. The Department of Defense (DoD) also planned to reduce its civilian workforce by 50,000 positions. These cuts align with the Trump administration’s goal to downsize the government and improve efficiency. However, the layoffs have sparked criticism, particularly regarding the impact on public services and veterans, who make up a significant portion of the workforce.