President Donald Trump defended his administration’s sweeping dismissals of federal employees on Wednesday, claiming—without evidence—that many of those fired were doing little to no work, NBC4 Washington reported. The mass firings, which have affected roughly 200,000 probationary workers across various federal agencies, are part of tech billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative.
The controversial task force has been tasked with streamlining the federal workforce, and probationary workers—who have fewer legal protections than other government employees—have been the primary targets. Speaking at the White House during a joint event with the Prime Minister of Ireland, Trump dismissed concerns over the widespread job losses when questioned by NBC News.
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“Sure I do. I feel very bad… but many of them don’t work at all. Many of them never showed up to work,” Trump said. “When we cut, we want to cut, but we want to cut the people that aren’t working or… not doing a good job.”
Despite Trump’s justification, termination letters issued to affected employees cited only vague “performance issues,” and many of those dismissed had received positive marks on their most recent performance reviews. Some were classified as probationary workers only because they had recently been promoted.
The mass terminations have sparked legal challenges, with a coalition of Democratic state attorneys general filing a lawsuit in Baltimore. The suit argues that the administration violated federal labor guidelines by failing to provide affected employees with the required 60 days’ notice and job placement assistance.
Beyond legal concerns, state officials say the firings have had a ripple effect on local economies, flooding job markets with suddenly unemployed federal workers and overwhelming state assistance programs.
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A federal judge overseeing the case appeared to lean in favor of the plaintiffs during a hearing Wednesday, stating, “This case isn’t about whether or not the government can terminate people. It’s about if they decide to terminate people, how they must do it.”
As the legal battle unfolds, the firings have intensified the debate over Trump’s aggressive efforts to shrink the federal government, raising concerns about due process and the long-term impact on public services.
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