Judge orders Donald Trump to rehire thousands of employees fired for ‘poor performance’ by him and Elon Musk
A federal judge has ordered President Donald Trump to rehire thousands of federal workers who were wrongly fired for supposedly performing poorly. Judge William H. Alsup ruled that at least 30,000 probationary employees across several government agencies, like the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Energy, were let go illegally. These firings were part of a plan by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a new agency led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, aimed at cutting jobs, reducing waste, and streamlining the government. DOGE’s goal is to finish its work and shut down by July 4, 2026.
Judge Alsup called the firings a “sad day” for the government, pointing out that many of the employees had received good performance reviews before being fired. He said the government knew the claims of poor performance were false. This isn’t the first time Alsup has ruled against these firings. On February 27, he said the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which oversees federal workers, didn’t have the authority to order the mass layoffs. After the firings, the OPM changed a memo from January 20 about probationary employees, which many saw as an admission that the firings were illegal.
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), a union representing federal workers, has demanded that all the fired employees be rehired immediately. They called the firings unlawful and a violation of workers’ rights. This ruling is a major setback for Trump and DOGE’s plans to cut government jobs and spending. It also raises questions about the legality and fairness of their approach. As the administration faces pressure to follow the court’s order, the future of DOGE’s mission to overhaul the federal workforce is now in doubt.
