9 h. ago Pentagon says it will cut 5,400 probationary workers starting next week

The Defense Department says it’s cutting 5,400 probationary workers starting next week and will put a hiring freeze in place

Politics

17 h. ago Senate passes budget funding Trump’s mass deportations; federal workers brace for more firings – US politics live

Senate Republicans approve spending plan that will pay for hardline immigration policies; mass layoffs get all-clear after judge lifts blockMass firings could cause ‘monumental’ bill, say expertsThe defense department will delay a plan to fire civilian employees on probation as it assess whether the move complies with the law and if it affects military readiness, CNN reports.The cuts were to be made as part of Donald Trump’s effort to dramatically downsize the federal government, which is being led by Elon Musk’s “department of government efficiency”. Here’s more, from CNN:The pause comes after CNN reported on Wednesday that the mass terminations, which could affect over 50,000 civilian employees across the Pentagon, could run afoul of Title 10 section 129a of the US code. Following that report, Pentagon lawyers began reviewing the legality of the planned terminations more closely, the officials said.That law says that the secretary of defense “may not reduce the civilian workforce ...

Politics

30 h. ago US politics briefing: Trump administration warns Kyiv and picks up court win in mass firings case

From the Trump administration’s latest moves abroad and in the US – here are the key US politics stories from Thursday at a glanceThursday saw a judge rule that the Trump administration can continue the mass firing of US federal workers, rejecting a bid by labor unions to stop the US president dramatically cutting the jobs of many of the 2.3 million people employed by the government. The IRS began laying off roughly 7,000 workers on Thursday.In his 16-page order, US district judge Christopher Cooper started by saying that Trump’s executive actions had “caused, some say by design, disruption and even chaos in widespread quarters of American society”. Continue reading...

Events

32 h. ago Elon Musk praises Doge efforts to cut federal workforce after judge ruling – live

Musk claims Trump administration is ‘finding savings’ amid mass terminations; federal judge won’t block administration from laying off federal workersJudge rules Trump administration can continue mass firings of federal workersDonald Trump signed another round of executive orders onboard Air Force One last night, among them one aimed at ending federal benefits for people in the country illegally.The order seeks to end “all taxpayer-funded benefits for illegal aliens”, according to the White House, although it was not clear which benefits will be targeted. Continue reading...

Events

33 h. ago Trump administration can move forward with mass firings of federal workers, judge rules – live

Federal judge won’t block administration from laying off thousands of federal workers, a move that is shrinking and upending US governmentJudge rules Trump administration can continue mass firings of federal workersDonald Trump signed another round of executive orders onboard Air Force One last night, among them one aimed at ending federal benefits for people in the country illegally.The order seeks to end “all taxpayer-funded benefits for illegal aliens”, according to the White House, although it was not clear which benefits will be targeted. Continue reading...

Events

34 h. ago Trump administration can move forward with mass firings of federal works, judge rules – live

Federal judge won’t block administration from laying off thousands of federal workers, a move that is shrinking and upending US governmentJudge rules Trump administration can continue mass firings of federal workersDonald Trump signed another round of executive orders onboard Air Force One last night, among them one aimed at ending federal benefits for people in the country illegally.The order seeks to end “all taxpayer-funded benefits for illegal aliens”, according to the White House, although it was not clear which benefits will be targeted. Continue reading...

Events

34 h. ago Trump administration can continue mass firings of federal workers, judge rules

US judge rejects bid by group of labor unions to halt president’s government overhaul through Musk-led ‘Doge’The Trump administration can for now continue its mass firings of federal employees, a federal judge ruled on Thursday, rejecting a bid by a group of labor unions to halt Donald Trump’s dramatic downsizing of the roughly 2.3 million-strong federal workforce.The ruling by the US district judge Christopher Cooper in Washington DC federal court is temporary while the litigation plays out. But it is a win for the Trump administration as it seeks to purge the federal workforce and slash what it deems wasteful and fraudulent government spending. Continue reading...

Politics

37 h. ago Unions sue over federal worker firings, alleging Trump administration misused probationary periods

Unions for federal workers have filed a lawsuit to block the mass firings of probationary federal employees by President Donald Trump’s administration, alleging that officials are exploiting and misusing the probationary period to eliminate staff across government agencies

Politics

53 h. ago Trump defense chief orders Pentagon to make cuts as IRS workers face mass layoffs – as it happened

This blog is now closing. You can read our latest story hereAs Donald Trump’s administration continues to fire thousands of federal workers and radically slash federal spending, some Republicans are growing unnerved, Axios reports.As the cuts start to hit GOP lawmakers’ districts and states, some have told Axios there is a larger conflict brewing over the constitutional issue of whether the president can bypass Congress on such decisions.I think you’re going to see a clash when they start abolishing [agencies]. Say like USAid, right? We authorized that. That’s a creature of Congress. If they try to do something like that, then you’re going to get into a constitutional argument or crisis.Before making cuts rashly, the administration should be studying and staffing to see what the consequences are. Measure twice before cutting. They have had to backtrack multiple times.We all want efficiencies, there is a way to do it, and the way these people have been treated has been awful in many ...

Politics

54 h. ago Trump defense chief orders Pentagon to make cuts as IRS workers face mass layoffs – live

Pete Hegseth orders leaders to develop plans to enact strict cuts while tax agency reportedly to lay off thousandsAs Donald Trump’s administration continues to fire thousands of federal workers and radically slash federal spending, some Republicans are growing unnerved, Axios reports.As the cuts start to hit GOP lawmakers’ districts and states, some have told Axios there is a larger conflict brewing over the constitutional issue of whether the president can bypass Congress on such decisions.I think you’re going to see a clash when they start abolishing [agencies]. Say like USAid, right? We authorized that. That’s a creature of Congress. If they try to do something like that, then you’re going to get into a constitutional argument or crisis.Before making cuts rashly, the administration should be studying and staffing to see what the consequences are. Measure twice before cutting. They have had to backtrack multiple times.We all want efficiencies, there is a way to do it, and the way ...

Politics

55 h. ago Trump defense chief reportedly orders Pentagon to make cuts as IRS faces mass layoffs – live

Pete Hegseth orders leaders to develop plans to enact strict cuts while tax agency reportedly to lay off thousandsAs Donald Trump’s administration continues to fire thousands of federal workers and radically slash federal spending, some Republicans are growing unnerved, Axios reports.As the cuts start to hit GOP lawmakers’ districts and states, some have told Axios there is a larger conflict brewing over the constitutional issue of whether the president can bypass Congress on such decisions.I think you’re going to see a clash when they start abolishing [agencies]. Say like USAid, right? We authorized that. That’s a creature of Congress. If they try to do something like that, then you’re going to get into a constitutional argument or crisis.Before making cuts rashly, the administration should be studying and staffing to see what the consequences are. Measure twice before cutting. They have had to backtrack multiple times.We all want efficiencies, there is a way to do it, and the way ...

Politics

56 h. ago Trump defense chief reportedly orders Pentagon to plan for sweeping budget cuts – US politics live

Pete Hegseth orders leaders to develop plans to cut 8% of budget in each of next five years, Washington Post reportsAs Donald Trump’s administration continues to fire thousands of federal workers and radically slash federal spending, some Republicans are growing unnerved, Axios reports.As the cuts start to hit GOP lawmakers’ districts and states, some have told Axios there is a larger conflict brewing over the constitutional issue of whether the president can bypass Congress on such decisions.I think you’re going to see a clash when they start abolishing [agencies]. Say like USAid, right? We authorized that. That’s a creature of Congress. If they try to do something like that, then you’re going to get into a constitutional argument or crisis.Before making cuts rashly, the administration should be studying and staffing to see what the consequences are. Measure twice before cutting. They have had to backtrack multiple times.We all want efficiencies, there is a way to do it, and the wa...

Politics

60 h. ago Trump administration reportedly orders Pentagon to plan for sweeping defense budget cuts – live

Hegseth orders senior leaders at the Pentagon to develop plans to cut 8% of the defense budget in each of the next five years, the Washington Post reportsAs Donald Trump’s administration continues to fire thousands of federal workers and radically slash federal spending, some Republicans are growing unnerved, Axios reports.As the cuts start to hit GOP lawmakers’ districts and states, some have told Axios there is a larger conflict brewing over the constitutional issue of whether the president can bypass Congress on such decisions.I think you’re going to see a clash when they start abolishing [agencies]. Say like USAid, right? We authorized that. That’s a creature of Congress. If they try to do something like that, then you’re going to get into a constitutional argument or crisis.Before making cuts rashly, the administration should be studying and staffing to see what the consequences are. Measure twice before cutting. They have had to backtrack multiple times.We all want efficiencie...

Politics