HHS is working to reinstate 3,248 probationary employees who were terminated in February as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to reduce the size of the federal government, CBS News reported March 18.
Four details:
1. On March 13, U.S. District Judge James Bredar ordered the administration to reinstate probationary employees across 18 agencies, including HHS, who were fired several weeks earlier, according to a Politico report. Probationary employees generally refer to those who have been in their government roles for about one to two years and have not yet earned full civil service protections.
2. HHS sent reinstatement notification letters to 3,248 workers to comply with Mr. Bredar’s order, according to CBS, which obtained a report from the administration detailing the number of terminations rescinded. In February, the Trump administration ordered nearly all of the 5,200 HHS probationary employees to be cut.
3. Most reinstated employees have been placed on administrative leave and are receiving full pay and benefits, according to declarations from federal HR officials cited by CBS. However, the Justice Department has appealed Mr. Bredar’s decision, along with a related ruling from a California district court.
Federal HR officials have warned that, while the administration is complying with the judge’s order, reinstatements could lead to additional disruption, as affected employees may face another round of terminations if an appeals court reverses the reinstatement order.
4. Separately, on March 7, around 80,000 HHS employees received voluntary buyout offers of $25,000 to resign, with a March 15 deadline to accept. That offer was later increased to include two months of paid administrative leave for some employees, according to Bloomberg.
