On the same day DOGE was ordered to reveal its government plan, the Trump administration has been told to rehire probationary employees
President Donald Trump has received an order by a US District Court judge to rehire thousands of federal workers he axed on the grounds of a ‘lie’.
A California federal judge, William H. Alsup, recently ruled that at least 30,000 probationary employees across various federal agencies, including the Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Energy, Department of Defense, Department of Agriculture, Department of the Treasury, and Department of the Interior, were wrongfully terminated for “poor performance.” The driving force behind these mass layoffs is the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has become notorious for its role in the mass exodus of federal workers. This department is led by a team coordinated by Tesla CEO Elon Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
Their mission? To overhaul and streamline the US government by eliminating thousands of jobs and slashing the wage bill. Once they complete their work, they have pledged to disband the department, with a completion target set for no later than July 4, 2026—Independence Day next year.
As former President Trump puts it, their primary goal is to “dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies.”
Speaking in court today (March 13), Judge William H. Alsup expressed his frustration over the wrongful firings of probationary workers, stating, “It is sad, a sad day when our government would fire some good employees and claim it was based on performance when they know good and well that’s a lie.” Many of those affected discovered that they were dismissed for poor performance, despite having received positive performance evaluations from their supervisors prior to being let go.
This isn’t the first time Alsup has weighed in on the matter. On February 27, he ruled that the firings were illegal, noting that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) did not have the authority to authorize the dismissals.
After firing thousands of employees, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) amended its January 20 memo regarding probationary employees. The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) swiftly responded, claiming that the revision was an acknowledgment by the OPM of its unlawful actions.
In a statement issued earlier this month, the union said: “OPM’s revision of its Jan 20 memo is a clear admission that it unlawfully directed federal agencies to carry out mass terminations of probationary employees – which aligns with Judge Alsup’s recent decision in our lawsuit challenging these illegal firings.”
The union also called for immediate action: “Every agency should immediately rescind these unlawful terminations and reinstate everyone who was illegally fired.” This development comes on the heels of a federal judge’s order for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to disclose its government overhaul plan and identify all employees involved.
