Trump administration scrambles to rehire key federal workers after DOGE firings

Federal agencies are rehiring and ordering back from leave some of the employees who were laid off in the weeks after President Donald Trump took office as they scramble to fill critical gaps in services left by the Department of Government Efficiency-led effort to shrink the federal workforce.

Federal agencies are rehiring and ordering back from leave some of the employees who were laid off in the weeks after President Donald Trump took office as they scramble to fill critical gaps in services left by the Department of Government Efficiency-led effort to shrink the federal workforce. The Trump administration’s quiet backtracking from the firings and voluntary retirements — which are also paired with new hires to fill vacancies those departures created — come as federal agencies are still implementing their “reduction-in-force” plans as part of a push for spending cuts. Experts warned that even though the Trump administration has backtracked on some of its efforts to shrink the federal workforce, the rapid rehirings are a warning sign that it has lost more capacities and expertise that could prove critical — and difficult to replace — in the months and years ahead. “There are time bombs all over the place in the federal government because of this,” said Elaine Kamarck, the director of the Center for Effective Public Management at the Brookings Institution. “They’ve wreaked havoc across nearly every agency.” Some government employees’ firings were halted by courts. But other moves to reinstate federal workers come as the Trump administration faces pressure from lawmakers, industries and groups they serve. “President Trump pledged to make our bloated government more efficient by slashing waste, fraud, and abuse. The administration is committed to delivering on this mandate while rectifying any oversights to minimize disruptions to critical government services,” White House spokesman Kush Desai said.