Hundreds of government employees asked to come back to work after being fired by Elon Musk’s DOGE two weeks ago
After being terminated by Elon Musk’s DOGE two weeks ago, hundreds of government personnel have been offered the opportunity to return to their previous positions.
Nearly two weeks ago, following directives from the Trump administration, layoffs were implemented at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
However, just days later, 180 former employees were stunned to receive an urgent email instructing them to return to work. The subject line read: “Please read this email as soon as possible.”
In the body of the message, a straightforward directive awaited them: “You should return to duty in accordance with your previous work schedule.” The email concluded with a formal apology: “We sincerely regret any inconvenience this may have caused.”
According to a report from the Associated Press, this situation has unfolded as described.
Among those affected by the layoffs were newly hired employees still within their probationary period.
At this time, it remains unclear how many of the terminated workers will be reinstated. In the wake of Musk’s announcement of sweeping budget cuts aimed at reducing federal spending, government employees have grown increasingly concerned about job security.
Adding to the controversy, Musk faced backlash for an email in which he demanded that all federal employees submit a list of five accomplishments from the previous week.
Musk ended his email with a stern warning, declaring that failure to respond would be considered a resignation.
However, cabinet secretaries swiftly instructed staff to ignore the message, forcing Musk to backtrack on his threats.
In a widely criticized post on X (formerly Twitter), Musk mocked the situation, writing: “The passing grade is literally just ‘Can you send an email with words that make any sense at all?’” He went on to add in another post that the email’s purpose was simply to identify “who had a pulse and two neurons that were working.”
Meanwhile, the Department of Defense—an entity meant to serve as an independent advisor to the president but lacking actual decision-making authority—confirmed that multiple federal agencies had been downsized.
After the Department of Veterans Affairs cut 1,000 jobs, a Trump administration official has now revealed plans for an even more drastic move—terminating 80,000 additional employees.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is also facing mass layoffs, with proposed workforce reductions putting 90,000 jobs at risk in accordance with DOGE’s recommendations.
Musk’s aggressive cost-cutting measures have extended beyond these agencies, with other government departments also in the crosshairs for potential downsizing.
The wave of layoffs continues, with 3,000 employees being dismissed from the Forest Service and another 5,000 workers losing their jobs across national parks, forests, and other federal public resource agencies.
