The Trump administration has taken steps to reinstate thousands of probationary workers who were fired in its effort to downsize the federal government, according to court filings in one of two cases where the terminations were deemed unlawful.
U.S. District Judge James Bredar, an appointee of former President Obama, last week ordered the mass reinstatement of fired probationary workers at 18 federal agencies after determining the government’s claims its terminations stemmed from “performance” issues “isn’t true.”
More than a dozen declarations filed by the government Monday night indicate the administration has moved to reinstate more than 24,000 federal probationary employees. The filings provide the clearest look yet at the sweeping terminations.
In them, officials at the agencies said most reinstated workers were placed on paid administrative leave, though some have been returned to full employment.
They warned that the change could cause chaos for fully reinstated employees, in particular, who must be onboarded and trained again but could lose their positions once more if an appellate ruling reverses Bredar’s decision.