Latest news with #inForce
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Federal employees bracing after Supreme Court greenlights widespread layoffs
A Supreme Court decision giving the Trump administration the greenlight to lay off tens of thousands of employees threatens to reshape the federal workforce amid a broader battle over whether the president has the power to do so. The Tuesday decision was the latest example of the court stepping in to stop a nationwide injunction – leaving President Trump free to conduct widespread layoffs even as the legal tussle continues. While a patchwork of other injunctions leaves a few limited protections in place, employees at some 17 agencies impacted by the ruling are bracing for what President Trump in February called 'a critical transformation of the Federal bureaucracy.' The Trump administration was on the precipice of carrying out layoffs when the courts blocked the plan in May – agencies had been asked to submit their plans for Reductions in Force (RIFs) by April and were just waiting for administration approval. Some agencies have already said they plan to take swift action in the wake of the decision. 'The Supreme Court decision has allowed us to commence, and that's what we're doing,' State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters Thursday. 'It will happen quickly. This is not going to be an extended wait for people who are listening and watching in this building or fellow Americans at home and around the world. This will happen quickly. We understand that there has been a delay, not to our interests but because of the courts.' On Friday, the department said it would lay off more than 1,300 employees, including 1,107 civil servants and 246 foreign service officers who currently have domestic assignments in the United States. And others among the 17 agencies have already given signals as to the extent of their planned cuts. Health and Human Services, which already announced plans to cut 10,000 employees of the 82,000 on payroll at the start of the administration. Agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency, the Social Security Agency, Veterans Affairs and more are impacted by the ruling. The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest federal government union, described the news as devastating for government services as it is for employees' careers. 'There is a lot of legitimate concern among our members not just for their own jobs, but for the Americans who rely on the services they provide — from small businesses, veterans, and Social Security recipients to everyday American consumers,' AFGE president Everett Kelley 'It's a life-altering decision for tens of thousands of American families. Federal employees across the country will sit at their dinner tables tonight with their layoff notice next to a pile of bills, knowing the Supreme Court's action just changed their lives forever, and they're wondering what they're going to do next to make ends meet. They didn't ask for this – all they wanted to do was serve their country.' The Supreme Court's decision only weighed the injunction lifted by a lower court judge, not the underlying layoff authority or plans themselves. 'The content of the [Agency RIF and Reorganization Plans] thus remains squarely at issue in this case,' U.S. District Court Judge Susan Illston wrote in a Thursday order granting further discovery in the case. The dissent from Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, however, faulted her colleagues for giving the go ahead on a plan that may later be determined to be unlawful. 'That temporary, practical, harm-reducing preservation of the status quo was no match for this Court's demonstrated enthusiasm for greenlighting this President's legally dubious actions in an emergency posture,' she wrote. The decision will allow 'all the harmful upheaval that edict entails, while the lower courts evaluate its lawfulness. In my view, this was the wrong decision at the wrong moment, especially given what little this Court knows about what is actually happening on the ground,' she argued. Unions too had argued there would be 'no way to unscramble that egg.' The ruling comes after the Supreme Court in a case dealing with Trump's effort to end birthright citizenship placed limits on the extent lower courts can use nationwide injunctions – a massive win for the Trump administration amid complaints about district court judges blocking their policies. Agencies are in many cases still waiting to hear back from the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel Management on their plans, but a joint memo from the agencies suggested speed is the goal. Agencies were directed to seek a waiver to shorten the notification window for employees, giving workers as little as 30 days notice that they will lose their jobs, rather than the traditional 60 days. Once those plans are revealed, the specifics could also be challeneged as well as the process for rolling them out. RIF plans in some cases can require congressional or union notification. Lawmakers in regions with large numbers of federal employees also said they plan to be engaged on any efforts for sweeping layoffs. 'The Court's decision to allow this damage to be done before ruling on the merits shows how detached they are from the reality of the moment,' Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) 'Make no mistake, the Trump Administration's plan isn't about efficiency, it's about rigging the government to only benefit the wealthy and powerful special interests. We are not done fighting in Congress, in the courts, and in our communities to defend the dedicated public servants who go to work on behalf of the American people day in and day out.' The planned RIFs follow a number of other moves from Trump to shrink the scope of the federal government. Shortly after taking office, departments across government dismissed employees still in their probationary period – a time frame that can last a year or two depending on the role and that can also be reactivated by a promotion. That too left the government dismissing thousands of federal workers who also saw their efforts to fight their dismissal hamstrung at different turns. A challenge at the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) lost the backing of the Office of the Special Counsel (OSC) after Trump fired former President Biden's five-year appointee to the role, Hampton Dellinger. Dellinger backed the MSPB challenge while he was fighting his own suit to keep his job, but the OSC reversed course once courts determined he could not stay in the job amid his own legal battle. Like with the RIFs, there are some injunctions still in place that block some of the firings, but in other cases they've been permitted to proceed. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) criticized the latest plans for firings as part of a broader 'witch hunt.' 'I will continue to fight against this President's witch hunt targeting federal workers,' she wrote on X. 'When you attack civil servants, you attack the very people they serve – the American people.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
12-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Federal employees bracing after Supreme Court greenlights widespread layoffs
A Supreme Court decision giving the Trump administration the greenlight to lay off tens of thousands of employees threatens to reshape the federal workforce amid a broader battle over whether the president has the power to do so. The Tuesday decision was the latest example of the court stepping in to stop a nationwide injunction – leaving President Trump free to conduct widespread layoffs even as the legal tussle continues. While a patchwork of other injunctions leaves a few limited protections in place, employees at some 17 agencies impacted by the ruling are bracing for what President Trump in February called 'a critical transformation of the Federal bureaucracy.' The Trump administration was on the precipice of carrying out layoffs when the courts blocked the plan in May – agencies had been asked to submit their plans for Reductions in Force (RIFs) by April and were just waiting for administration approval. Some agencies have already said they plan to take swift action in the wake of the decision. 'The Supreme Court decision has allowed us to commence, and that's what we're doing,' State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters Thursday. 'It will happen quickly. This is not going to be an extended wait for people who are listening and watching in this building or fellow Americans at home and around the world. This will happen quickly. We understand that there has been a delay, not to our interests but because of the courts.' On Friday, the department said it would lay off more than 1,300 employees, including 1,107 civil servants and 246 foreign service officers who currently have domestic assignments in the United States. And others among the 17 agencies have already given signals as to the extent of their planned cuts. Health and Human Services, which already announced plans to cut 10,000 employees of the 82,000 on payroll at the start of the administration. Agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency, the Social Security Agency, Veterans Affairs and more are impacted by the ruling. The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest federal government union, described the news as devastating for government services as it is for employees' careers. 'There is a lot of legitimate concern among our members not just for their own jobs, but for the Americans who rely on the services they provide — from small businesses, veterans, and Social Security recipients to everyday American consumers,' AFGE president Everett Kelley 'It's a life-altering decision for tens of thousands of American families. Federal employees across the country will sit at their dinner tables tonight with their layoff notice next to a pile of bills, knowing the Supreme Court's action just changed their lives forever, and they're wondering what they're going to do next to make ends meet. They didn't ask for this – all they wanted to do was serve their country.' The Supreme Court's decision only weighed the injunction lifted by a lower court judge, not the underlying layoff authority or plans themselves. 'The content of the [Agency RIF and Reorganization Plans] thus remains squarely at issue in this case,' U.S. District Court Judge Susan Illston wrote in a Thursday order granting further discovery in the case. The dissent from Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, however, faulted her colleagues for giving the go ahead on a plan that may later be determined to be unlawful. 'That temporary, practical, harm-reducing preservation of the status quo was no match for this Court's demonstrated enthusiasm for greenlighting this President's legally dubious actions in an emergency posture,' she wrote. The decision will allow 'all the harmful upheaval that edict entails, while the lower courts evaluate its lawfulness. In my view, this was the wrong decision at the wrong moment, especially given what little this Court knows about what is actually happening on the ground,' she argued. Unions too had argued there would be 'no way to unscramble that egg.' The ruling comes after the Supreme Court in a case dealing with Trump's effort to end birthright citizenship placed limits on the extent lower courts can use nationwide injunctions – a massive win for the Trump administration amid complaints about district court judges blocking their policies. Agencies are in many cases still waiting to hear back from the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel Management on their plans, but a joint memo from the agencies suggested speed is the goal. Agencies were directed to seek a waiver to shorten the notification window for employees, giving workers as little as 30 days notice that they will lose their jobs, rather than the traditional 60 days. Once those plans are revealed, the specifics could also be challeneged as well as the process for rolling them out. RIF plans in some cases can require congressional or union notification. Lawmakers in regions with large numbers of federal employees also said they plan to be engaged on any efforts for sweeping layoffs. 'The Court's decision to allow this damage to be done before ruling on the merits shows how detached they are from the reality of the moment,' Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) 'Make no mistake, the Trump Administration's plan isn't about efficiency, it's about rigging the government to only benefit the wealthy and powerful special interests. We are not done fighting in Congress, in the courts, and in our communities to defend the dedicated public servants who go to work on behalf of the American people day in and day out.' The planned RIFs follow a number of other moves from Trump to shrink the scope of the federal government. Shortly after taking office, departments across government dismissed employees still in their probationary period – a time frame that can last a year or two depending on the role and that can also be reactivated by a promotion. That too left the government dismissing thousands of federal workers who also saw their efforts to fight their dismissal hamstrung at different turns. A challenge at the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) lost the backing of the Office of the Special Counsel (OSC) after Trump fired former President Biden's five-year appointee to the role, Hampton Dellinger. Dellinger backed the MSPB challenge while he was fighting his own suit to keep his job, but the OSC reversed course once courts determined he could not stay in the job amid his own legal battle. Like with the RIFs, there are some injunctions still in place that block some of the firings, but in other cases they've been permitted to proceed. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) criticized the latest plans for firings as part of a broader 'witch hunt.' 'I will continue to fight against this President's witch hunt targeting federal workers,' she wrote on X. 'When you attack civil servants, you attack the very people they serve – the American people.'
The Hill
11-07-2025
- Business
- The Hill
State Department begins laying off 1,300 staff, drawing fire from critics
The State Department on Friday is carrying out plans to lay off 1,300 employees as part of a drastic reorganization effort, drawing outrage from former diplomats and Democrats who say the Trump administration as risking America's national security by shrinking its diplomatic presence. While Secretary of State Marco Rubio is on diplomatic travel in Asia, State Department employees located in the Washington D.C. area were instructed to return to the office on Friday with government-issued equipment in preparation for the layoffs. 'In view of the anticipated reorganization and RIF, there will be no telework tomorrow, Friday July 11. All employees should report to work with all Department issued equipment including: laptops, telephones, diplomatic passports, travel cards and any other property owned by the Department of State,' read a letter sent to staff and obtained by The Hill's partner-outlet News Nation. The Reduction in Force (RIF) notices are expected to go out to about 1,100 civil servants and 250 foreign service officers who are currently based in the U.S., NewsNation reported. 'As we understand that badges will be collected at the time of outprocessing. Please ensure that any personal items are collected before that time,' the letter read. 'In the coming days of uncertainty I want to express my gratitude to each of you for your professionalism and hard work, particularly in this difficult time of transition. Our team efforts to continue the goals of the Department of State has had lasting and meaningful effects both in the U.S. and in the world at large.' Foreign service officers affected will be placed immediately on administrative leave for 120 days, after which they will formally lose their jobs, according to an internal notice obtained by The Associated Press. For most civil servants, the separation period is 60 days, it said. Rubio announced in April a drastic reorganization of the State Department, eliminating 132 offices and transitioning 137 other offices to other locations within the agency — a move even critics concede may deliver some needed streamlining around policy development. Rubio, speaking to reporters in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, said the layoffs are 'a very deliberate step to reorganize the State Department to be more efficient and more focused.' 'It's not a consequence of trying to get rid of people. But if you close the bureau, you don't need those positions,' he said. 'Understand that some of these are positions that are being eliminated, not people.' On Friday, Rubio posted to his X account a picture of him meeting with U.S. embassy staff in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia as well as diplomats dispatched to the East Asian forum ASEAN, and praising their work. 'Their dedication has helped Americans, Malaysians, and others across Southeast Asia by strengthening our relationships across the region,' Rubio wrote. The cuts being announced on Friday are far less than Rubio's initial proposal of an 18 percent cut notified to Congress in May, which would amount to laying off 18,700 U.S.-based employees, the AP reported. Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee roundly criticized the layoffs as harming America's ability to counter adversaries and competitors, like China, on the world stage. 'There are active conflicts and humanitarian crises in Ukraine, Sudan, Gaza, Haiti and Myanmar—to name a few. Now is the time to strengthen our diplomatic hand, not weaken it,' read a statement led by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The state was joined by all Democrats on the panel. 'From pursuing peaceful resolutions to out-competing China diplomatically and economically, we can't afford to not have experienced diplomats at the table.' National Security Leaders for America, a bi-partisan, all-volunteer organization of former military, diplomats and civilian leaders, raised alarm over the State Department's staffing cuts. In a statement, the group said the cuts will result in a critical loss of expertise and surrender U.S. global leadership. It also faulted the administration for not articulating a global strategy or vision for working with a diminished staff. 'NSL4A urges Congress to conduct oversight hearings on this plan and requests that the Administration suspend the reductions-in-force (RIFs) pending a comprehensive review of national security,' the statement read.
Newsweek
09-05-2025
- Business
- Newsweek
DOGE Could Speed Up Layoffs: Report
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A sweeping automation initiative backed by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) may soon accelerate the pace of job cuts across U.S. federal agencies, according to Reuters on Thursday. Newsweek reached out to DOGE via its X, formerly Twitter, account on Friday for comment. The rollout of a revamped software tool to identify redundant positions is moving ahead amid Elon Musk's apparent step back from his day-to-day role in DOGE, citing a need to refocus on Tesla and his private ventures. DOGE, created in January by executive order from President Donald Trump, is not a formal Cabinet-level department but an advisory body. It was launched with a broad mandate to cut federal spending, shutter agencies, and streamline the government workforce by July 2026. Musk, appointed as an unpaid special government employee, initially played a hands-on role directing strategy and technology priorities. In April, he said his weekly commitment to DOGE would drop to one or two days from May. One of DOGE's more prominent current efforts is the development and deployment of AutoRIF, an automation tool that replaces manual review processes in government layoffs. Why It Matters Labor leaders and watchdog organizations have raised alarms about the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in employment decisions, warning that systems like AutoRIF could violate civil service laws and eliminate due process protections. DOGE has faced multiple lawsuits and at least one federal court order blocking access to personal data used in its reviews. Transparency remains a central point of contention. While DOGE has claimed to save $160 billion, an April analysis by the BBC found that only $61.5 billion was itemized, and just $32.5 billion could be traced to verifiable actions. Despite strong Republican support for DOGE's cost-cutting efforts, Musk's personal popularity remains mixed. Polling from Pew Research in February found that 54 percent of Americans viewed the billionaire unfavorably. What Is AutoRIF? AutoRIF is a software platform redeveloped by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) under DOGE's direction. Its name comes from "Reduction in Force," a term used to describe mass layoffs. The new version builds on a little-used Pentagon tool, updating it into a web-based system capable of identifying positions for elimination without requiring oversight such as manager input or performance reviews, according to Reuters. DOGE has not publicly confirmed specific timelines, but internal sources told Reuters the rollout of new users would begin in the coming weeks. How Many Jobs Has DOGE Cut So Far? While it remains unclear whether any job cuts have yet been directly triggered by AutoRIF, DOGE's broader mandate has already produced massive reductions. According to a report cited by The Hill last week, 283,172 job cuts have been attributed to "DOGE Actions" in the first four months of 2025. Another 6,945 jobs were lost through "DOGE Downstream Impact"—indirect effects on nonprofits and educational organizations. Together, these DOGE-related actions account for nearly half of all U.S. job cuts recorded during that period. The single largest wave occurred in March, with more than 216,000 federal layoffs announced. In parallel, individual agencies are also planning deep cuts. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is set to cut up to 80,000 positions. Elon Musk listens during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on April 30 in Washington, D.C. Elon Musk listens during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on April 30 in Washington, D.C. Evan Vucci/AP Photo What People Are Saying Nick Bednar, an associate professor of law at the University of Minnesota who has been observing the government layoffs, told Reuters that the tool will allow agencies "to remove a massive number of federal employees from their positions" if it functions. Elon Musk, in a February appearance at the White House, defended DOGE's mission, saying it reflected the public's call for reform, while denying he was leading a "hostile takeover" of the government, as claimed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat. What Happens Next? Despite Musk's scaled-back presence, DOGE's mission continues—and its reach is likely to grow as agencies implement the automation infrastructure he helped put in place. Members of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee have recently shown increased scrutiny of DOGE's activities. Senator Gary Peters, ranking member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and a Michigan Democrat, has sent letters to federal agencies requesting details about DOGE's access to internal IT systems and data repositories. In a separate action, Peters and several Senate colleagues in February called for an immediate pause on DOGE's operations in federal agencies, citing concerns over legality, transparency, and potential misuse of authority.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The Real Costs of Trump's Purge of Veterans From the Government
When veterans came home from war — from Vietnam, from Iraq, from Afghanistan — many of us didn't stop serving. We traded our uniforms for suits. Veterans joined the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Commerce Department, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and every agency flying the flag overseas. We became the quiet professionals who helped keep America competitive without firing a shot. These weren't just any public servants. They were veterans of Fallujah leading agricultural development in Ethiopia. Medics from Helmand who became global health experts during the Ebola and Covid crises. Civil affairs Marines stabilizing fragile governments through USAID. Army logisticians forming the backbone of disaster relief and global supply chain security. Former aviators orchestrating emergency evacuations and air diplomacy at U.S. embassies worldwide. They were the people who carried the U.S. war effort on their backs — and then helped build a more stable, peaceful world. Now they are being thrown out like garbage. The veterans, diplomats, analysts, engineers, and foreign service officers who have kept our global edge intact are being purged from federal service under dubious Reduction in Force (RIF) orders by the Trump administration and replaced with something we've rarely seen before in upper echelons of government leadership — empty suits, yes men, podcasters, social media influencers, and political hacks. To make matters worse, the men leading this motley crew of the new American government are so incompetent, they can't even manage a group chat correctly. The State Department, USAID, and the broader foreign service ecosystem aren't luxuries. They are how America shapes the world — through trade deals, tech standards, food security, education, and real relationships. These institutions help American companies get into foreign markets. They write the rules so U.S. innovation isn't buried under authoritarian red tape. They connect us with allies, prevent wars, and stabilize entire regions. You don't just replace that experience. You lose it. And the next time there's a humanitarian disaster, or a strategic opening, or a region at risk of falling into Chinese or Russian hands and economic influence, we won't have the people who know what to do — and the administration couldn't care less. As we throttle down our professionals, China is supercharging their nation-building teams worldwide. If you think the Trump administration's purge of the federal workforce is about saving taxpayer dollars, think again. These cuts will cost us far more in global influence, economic opportunity, and national security. Every veteran you fire from USAID or the State Department, or the Department of Veterans Affairs is a future conflict we didn't prevent, a trade deal we didn't win, a veteran who died by suicide and will never fight again, or a region we just handed over to our adversaries. On the flip side, not a dime will be saved for American taxpayers. But that won't stop MAGA world from hyping $5,000 rebate checks from the so-called Department of Government Efficiency that will never come, promising future arrests of 'government fraudsters' who don't exist, or spreading lies about 'lazy' government workers juggling four jobs. This is how empires fall — and we're witnessing it firsthand. For generations, veterans helped build America's golden age. Today, the very people who benefited from that sacrifice are selling it off — for clicks, bitcoin pump-and-dump schemes, and tax breaks for billionaires. This is how the American Century ends: not with a bang, but with a RIF. More from Rolling Stone 'Is Waltz Jonah From Veep?': Team Trump Fumes Over Its Most Idiotic Scandal Yet Trump's SEC Nominee Consulted for Wall Street, Big Oil, Crypto Interests Trump Team's War Plans Group Chat Triggers Avalanche of Memes Best of Rolling Stone The Useful Idiots New Guide to the Most Stoned Moments of the 2020 Presidential Campaign Anatomy of a Fake News Scandal The Radical Crusade of Mike Pence
