The mass firings of probationary government workers roiling the federal government are likely illegal, a federal government oversight agency said on Monday.
The decision comes from the Office of Special Counsel, an independent agency that oversees illegal actions taken against federal workers, in a case involving six probationary government workers who were fired from their positions at six separate agencies.
That decision, issued on Friday but not disclosed until Monday, determined that “there are reasonable grounds to believe that agencies engaged in prohibited personnel practices … by terminating the employees in violation of federal laws and regulations governing probationary terminations and reductions in force.”
While the decision is limited to those six workers, its implication is that all, or nearly all, of the mass firings of probationary government workers by President Donald Trump violate the laws regulating government employment. If the decision holds, it would represent a massive setback for Trump and Department of Government Efficiency leader Elon Musk’s efforts to rapidly shrink the number of federal government employees.
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