Massive federal layoffs: Nearly 10,000 workers fired as Donald Trump, Elon Musk step up assault on US agencies

Over 9,500 federal workers were laid off in a drive led by President Trump and advisor Elon Musk to reduce bureaucracy. More than 9,500 workers who handle everything ranging from federal lands to military veterans care were fired on Friday as part of US President Donald Trump and his advisor Elon Musk’s bid to cut down bureaucracy in America radically.The employee termination drive has so far seen workers at the Departments of Interior, Energy, Veteran Affairs, Agriculture and Health and Human Services being targeted, with many of them, though not exclusively, being probationary staffers in their first year on the job and having lesser employment protections.Some agencies have even been shut down in essence, including one as the independent watchdog the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, where the cuts also affect the fixed-term contract workers.Meanwhile, the tax-collector agency, Internal Revenue Service, is also preparing to lay off thousands of workers next week, Reuters reported citing two people familiar with the matter. This could be a move to squeeze resources ahead of the April 15 deadline for Americans to file income taxes, According to the White House, the recent layoffs are in addition to the 75,000 workers who took up Trump and Musk on their buyout option to leave voluntarily. This is equivalent to about 3 per cent of the 2.3 million civilian workforce.