By Jociel Colon

Donald Trump, the 45th and now the 47th President of the United States, has had quite the “welcome back” ceremony since being inaugurated in January, changing the Gulf of Mexico into the Gulf of America, and announcing the abolishment of the Department of Education. Now, with him appointing Elon Musk as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency, it seems like there’s never a dull moment in the White House. Amid all this commotion, who has Trump (and Musk) fired from the government?

In a move to reduce government funding, around 6,000 USDA (US Department of Agriculture) employees were unexpectedly laid off based on “performance.” The workers received an email stating their employment would not be in the public interest based on work performance. This caught many workers by surprise, as a handful of workers just got promoted, and almost all of them never received any prior comment regarding lousy performance. On a positive note, though, the US Board has reinstated probationary employees temporarily for 45 days.

Another hefty layoff was at the Department of Veteran Affairs, with a whopping 76,000 employees being laid off. Another second wave of layoffs resulted in 2,500+ more employees being fired. According to a memo obtained by the Associated Press, it instructs “top-level staff to prepare for agency-wide reorganization.” Additionally, agency officials are to work with Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to “move out aggressively” in order to comply with the Trump administration.

Yet another significant layoff comes with the Social Security Administration, with 7,000 employees being let go. According to U.S. News, it is unclear how cuts may affect social security benefits and if such benefits will be delayed for Americans. 

With the recent reinstatements, many probationary workers have received their jobs back temporarily. Additionally, many workers have called Trump and Musk’s moves unjust, as veterans and other workers have protested outside of government buildings in response to these layoffs.

In a statement from White House secretary Karoline Leavitt stated “President Trump is only interested in the best and most qualified people who are also willing to implement his America First Agenda on behalf of the American people, it’s not for everyone, and that’s okay.”