The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a new White House task force led by billionaire Elon Musk aimed at reducing costs and the federal workforce, terminated thousands of probationary federal employees on Friday and is in the process of targeting staffers who aren’t specifically in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) roles, according to media reports.
Why It Matters
Restructuring has occurred across multiple federal agencies since President Donald Trump took office, notably with the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the firing of inspectors general and mass layoffs of federal workers.
Most dismissals have been tied to the president’s anti-DEI agenda. However, recent reports indicate that workers in non-DEI roles, who DOGE deems affiliated with DEI initiatives, have lost their jobs and are expected to continue being dismissed.
What To Know
The Musk-led task force dismissed 3,600 probationary employees at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Friday night, according to Fox News and Politico.
Newsweek has reached out to the HHS press team for comment via email on Saturday.
The department, which is now run by newly confirmed Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is responsible for $1.7 trillion in spending on vaccines, food safety and health insurance programs that serve nearly half the population.
In the top role, Kennedy oversees 18 federal agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
The workforce cuts were reportedly targeted, leaving in place employees working on critical programs, such as refugee resettlement, emergency preparedness, scientific research, frontline healthcare, CMS, and drug approvals and inspections were among those not affected, according to Fox News.
The dismissals came just ahead of The Washington Post’s release of DOGE’s plans to cut federal DEI initiatives and workers. The documents indicate that the country has entered Phase 2, during which DOGE aims to expand dismissals beyond DEI-related employees.
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Aaron Schwartz/Sipa USA/ AP Images
The task force outlined a three-phase plan to reduce the federal workforce within the first 180 days of the Trump administration. Phase 1 focuses on rescinding Biden-era directives, halting DEI-related initiatives, and placing workers in 31 offices and councils on leave. This phase has been completed.
Phase 2, which is expected to last until February 19, places employees in non-DEI roles—who DOGE somehow deems connected to DEI initiatives—on leave. Several offices within HHS are classified as targeted in phase 2.
“The documents make clear that the ultimate goal is to fire all employees identified as somehow doing DEI-related work,” The Washington Post reports.
The final phase, which is also the longest and most widespread, is listed to commence on February 19 and extend until Trump’s 180th day in office, July 19.
What People Are Saying
HHS wrote on their official X, formerly Twitter, account on Friday: “Our new Secretary’s commitment is clear: he will lead our nation’s effort to end the chronic disease epidemic and Make America Healthy Again.”
The White House said in a statement on Monday that the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) had long functioned as a “woke, weaponized arm of the bureaucracy that leverages its power against certain industries and individuals disfavored by so-called elites.”
Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska wrote on X Friday night: “Dozens of Alaskans – potentially over 100 in total – are being fired as part of the Trump administration’s reduction-in-force order for the federal government. Many of these abrupt terminations will do more harm than good, stunting opportunities in Alaska and leaving holes in our communities. We can’t realize our potential for responsible energy and mineral development if we can’t permit projects. We will be less prepared to manage summer wildfires if we can’t support those on the front lines. Our tourism economy will be damaged if we don’t maintain our world-class national parks and forests.”
What Happens Next
DOGE continues to advise and investigate various federal government agencies. The task force posts on its website the number of employees and cumulative cost per person on its website.
Several lawsuits have been filed against the administration’s terminations, including by fired inspectors generals. More legal challenges over attempts to lay off federal workers are expected to come.
