The Trump administration terminated approximately 1,300 additional employees at the Interior Department over the holiday weekend, as reported by two individuals familiar with the situation. This adds to the significant removal of thousands of federal workers on probationary status that commenced last week.
Furthermore, the Trump administration also dismissed around 1,000 workers at the National Park Service, according to worker groups, resulting in a total of approximately 2,300 layoffs at the Interior Department.
These layoffs impacted numerous agencies responsible for overseeing public lands controlled by the federal government and managed by the Interior Department.
Some of these agencies are focused on areas that President Trump has prioritized in his policies. Recently, Mr. Trump directed Doug Burgum, the interior secretary, to reverse a ban on offshore drilling implemented during the Biden era, and has shown interest in addressing water supply issues linked to recent wildfires in California.
The recent dismissals also affected workers at the Bureau of Reclamation, responsible for managing water resources in arid western states, and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, which oversees offshore drilling and wind farms.
Various personnel from the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Bureau of Land Management, which handles the conservation and utilization of public land, were also let go.
Approximately 240 individuals from the U.S. Geological Survey, known for monitoring natural hazards like volcanoes and earthquakes, were part of the layoffs. The U.S. Geological Survey also plays a crucial role in climate research, with services essential for public safety and resource management.
Former U.S. Geological Survey research ecologist Mark Sogge highlighted the agency’s significant contributions to communities, such as its national stream gauge system that alerts to floods and impacts water supplies for urban areas and agricultural lands.
The Interior Department’s press office did not respond to requests for comment on Tuesday afternoon.
The termination of probationary employees continued across the government, with over 10 percent of the National Science Foundation’s workforce facing layoffs. Michael England, a foundation spokesman, confirmed the dismissal of 168 probationary employees among a workforce of approximately 1,450 career employees.
Discrepancies arose regarding the status of those dismissed at the National Science Foundation, with some sources indicating a mix of probationary and senior specialists let go. The ongoing wave of firings affects various federal agencies, ramping up since the Trump administration’s directive to terminate a significant number of probationary government workers.
Probationary employees lack similar protections afforded to many other federal workers, often undergoing probation periods lasting over a year. The weekend witnessed layoffs targeting scientists and public health officials, with around 1,200 National Institutes of Health employees already affected.
The National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health represent pivotal public research funding entities in the U.S., supporting groundbreaking scientific research initiatives. The NSF’s focus encompasses nonmedical scientific research, backing projects on emerging technologies, space exploration, and materials science.
The N.S.F. has funded numerous scientific breakthroughs, including inventions like the internet, smart devices, medical advancements, and environmental monitoring tools. The recent workforce reduction at the NSF and other agencies has sparked concern in the scientific community, jeopardizing ongoing research activities.
The weekend layoffs affected critical scientific experiments and inspections at the Food and Drug Administration’s food science lab, leaving staff to navigate abrupt changes without proper transition plans. Key testing areas, such as food processing facility inspections and monitoring of contaminants in food products, were impacted by the staff cuts.
The workforce reductions at various federal agencies have raised concerns among experts and professors in the scientific community, with many expressing dismay over the implications for ongoing research and public programs.
Contributions by Christina Jewett to this report.