In accordance with President Trump’s executive order from February, which aims to implement the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) recommendations regarding how to reduce the size of the federal workforce, Treasury Department officials announced on Tuesday that they intend to lay off a “substantial number” of workers.
These plans, which will be customized for every bureau, frequently call for the reduction of a significant number of personnel through reductions in force (RIFs). “A RIF in any specific competitive area will disproportionately affect reinstated probationary employees because RIFs are seniority-based,” said Trevor Norris, Treasury’s Top human Capital Officer, in a filing on Tuesday.
In order to acknowledge the temporary decision from the Merit Systems Protection Board that compelled the agency to reinstate roughly 6,000 probationary employees who were terminated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, he had to file a declaration of compliance.
Despite their planned return, Norris warned that because they lacked seniority, people will probably be singled out in the upcoming wave of government layoffs.
“In some case, bureaus may determine that the likelihood of certain reinstated probationary employees being separated is sufficiently high that restoring them to full duties in advance of the planned RIF would be unduly disruptive to both the employees and the bureau,” he wrote in court documents.
The Treasury Department did not immediately respond to The Hill’s requests for comment.
The Treasury Department oversees more than 100,000 employees across the IRS, Bureau of the Fiscal Service, U.S. Mint, and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, according to Bloomberg. The government has not publicly stated how many people should be let go.
In an attempt to comply with Trump’s executive order, a number of federal agency heads, including those at the Department of Veterans Affairs, Social Security Administration, U.S. Agency for International Development, and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, have expressed their intention to fire employees, while others have hinted at possible plans to close completely.
“Agency Heads shall promptly undertake preparations to initiate large-scale reductions in force (RIFs), consistent with applicable law, and to separate from Federal service temporary employees and reemployed annuitants working in areas that will likely be subject to the RIFs,” Trump wrote in the mandate.
He continued: “All offices that perform functions not mandated by statute or other law shall be prioritized in the RIFs, including all agency diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives; all agency initiatives, components, or operations that my Administration suspends or closes; and all components and employees performing functions not mandated by statute or other law who are not typically designated as essential during a lapse in appropriations as provided in the Agency Contingency Plans on the Office of Management and Budget website.”
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