Washington: The White House has instructed federal agencies to compile and submit, by Friday, detailed lists of federal employees currently on probationary status, along with recommendations regarding their future employment. This directive is part of President Donald Trump’s broader initiative to reform the federal workforce and reduce regulatory efforts.
On Monday, President Trump ordered federal workers to return to the office five days a week and rolled back job protections for civil servants. These actions mark the initial steps in his campaign to streamline the federal bureaucracy.
“Probationary periods are essential tools for agencies to assess employee performance and staffing levels,” stated a memo issued by Acting Director Charles Ezell of the White House Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which was seen by Reuters. The memo emphasized the importance of evaluating the probationary employees, urging agencies to determine promptly whether such employees should remain at their posts.
The memo clarified that federal employees with one to two years of service, depending on their specific status, can be terminated without the right to appeal.
When approached, the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In a related directive, the White House ordered government agencies to rescind most job offers for candidates who are not scheduled to begin work until after February 8. This measure is part of a hiring freeze imposed by the administration. The order also instructed federal agencies to remove the majority of job postings from government employment boards. With limited exceptions, the creation of new jobs is prohibited under this directive.
“Any recruiters seeking to fill positions on behalf of the government must cease correspondence with candidates no later than January 21,” stated the memo, dated Monday.
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The directive outlined exceptions to the hiring freeze for positions tied to immigration enforcement, national security, public safety, the military, and the U.S. Postal Service. The OPM also indicated that additional exemptions may be granted for “critically important situations” such as maintaining Social Security, Medicare, and veterans’ benefits.
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To ensure compliance, agencies must submit monthly reports to OPM detailing job offers and acceptances, employee resignations, total job listings on government websites, and overall employee headcount.
