At least dozens of workers from the technological change services housed at the U.S. Bureau of General Services were fired Wednesday afternoon, sources told Wired.
The sudden cuts target seemingly targeted probation and short-term staff, including workers provided by the Presidential Innovation Fellowship Program. About 50 of the 70 members of the US Digital Corps were fired as well as early career, two-year government fellowships, sources said. Sources also told Wired that they met individually with workers before TTS management ended, and they were given the last chance to receive their postponed resignation, which was provided by a “Road Fork” email since the latter half of last month. I gave it to.
One TTS staff called the meeting “certainly forced.”
It is unclear how many people have been let go, but multiple sources show that if the list is not more than 70, the list can be more than 70. Previously, there were around 650 TTS employees. Dismissed staff are expected to receive a formal termination email late Wednesday night.
“Since the beginning of this administration, GSA leadership has been committed to supporting the administration’s initiatives that grant the federal workforce rights. The GSA is immediately ready to fully implement all current executive orders. We are taking measures and are committed to taking steps to implement the new executive order,” a GSA spokesperson told Wired. “Like all institutions, the GSA works to meet the OPM [Office of Personnel Management] Memo requirements related to the probationary period. The GSA relies on ensuring a process of respect and dignity for its agency staff during this transformation. ”
The final day for fired employees is expected to be March 7th, sources said.
A similar shooting occurred at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Tuesday evening. Dozens of staff, mainly on probation staff with less than two years of service, have received termination emails. What appeared to be a failed email merge, dismissed workers were treated as follows [EmployeeFirstName][EmployeeLastName], [Job Title], [Division].
When former Tesla software engineer Thomas Shedd joined TTS, he told staff to expect a cut in the workforce. “The GSA should expect a significant budget to be significantly lower and staff will be cut in the future,” Shedd told TTS staff at last week’s All Hands Meeting with audio acquired by Wired.
GSA’s vision for TTS is an agency operating under new leadership, operating last week like a “startup software company”, focusing on AI, automating various internal processes, and from across the federal government. It focuses on centralization.
The GSA was one of the first institutions that Musk Associates took over after President Donald Trump returned to power. Nicole Hollander, who supported Musk in the Twitter acquisition, joined the GSA’s top level along with many other young engineers associated with the Musk company.
The Head Count reduction is because Shedd and TTS leadership hope to launch GSAI, a custom-generated AI chatbot, in the coming weeks. Wired recently reported that the goal of the initiative is to increase productivity among staff and analyze huge amounts of data. The agency also plans to sell more than 500 federal buildings to reduce overall costs, urging employees to return to in-person office work.
Wednesday evening, Federal judge granted Trump administration Continue plans to reduce the size of the federal workforce.
This is a developing story. Please check for updates.
