The Trump administration's efforts to reduce the federal workforce continues.
A leaked memo showed the Department of Veterans Affairs has outlined a plan to fire as many as 83,000 by the end of 2025, Government Executive reported.
The IRS plans to reduce its workforce by 50%, The New York Times reported Tuesday.
One IRS employee who recently resigned from the agency opened up about his decision to Axios.
"The uncertainty," said the person, who cited a push to resign, rumors of layoffs, and the firings of probationary employees.
"Are we going to have a job next week? An office?" said the individual, who still was working at the IRA for a few more days.
Democrats have challenged President Donald Trump's actions to streamline the bureaucracy.
A U.S. board that reviews the firings of federal employees on Friday ordered the U.S. Department of Agriculture to temporarily reinstate thousands of workers who lost their jobs as part of Trump's layoffs of the federal workforce.
Cathy Harris, a member of the U.S. Merit System Protection Board, in a written order blocked the USDA from firing probationary employees, who typically have less than one year of service, for 45 days while a challenge to the terminations plays out.
On Tuesday, the Office of Personnel Management announced it had updated its guidance regarding the firing of new hires under the 90-day probationary period, advising federal agencies and departments to consult with it before making any new rules.
The new guidance updated an Inauguration Day memo by Charles Ezell, the OPM's acting director, to federal agency and department chiefs titled "Guidance on Probationary Periods, Administrative Leave, and Details."
The updated memo announced that departments and agencies should clear rules through the OPM as lawsuits and challenges to probationary firings have been filed against the Trump administration.
Last week, a federal judge in San Francisco found that the mass firings of probationary employees were likely unlawful, granting temporary relief to a coalition of labor unions and organizations that has sued to stop the Trump administration's massive dismantling of the federal workforce.
U.S. District Judge William Alsup ordered OPM to inform certain federal agencies that it had no authority to order the firings of probationary employees, including the Department of Defense.
Reuters contributed to this story.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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