Actions by Trump and Musk have already disrupted critical operations at agencies that millions of Americans depend on for survival

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, joined 16 Senate Committee Ranking Members in a letter to the Inspectors General of 23 federal agencies, including the Department of Transportation and Department of Commerce, demanding details on the impact of President Trump’s sweeping and unprecedented dismissal of tens of thousands of federal employees. The senators asked the Inspectors General to review the Trump Administration’s actions, citing potential violations of federal laws and procedures, which the senators warn could harm Americans’ access to vital government services and increase waste and abuse of taxpayer dollars.

“The decision to terminate thousands of employees across multiple federal agencies will impose undue hardship on millions of Americans who rely on their services,” wrote the senators. “The loss of experienced agency staff may risk causing serious disruptions to nearly 73 million Americans who rely on the Social Security Administration (SSA) to administer retiree and disability benefits and 9.1 million veterans who depend on the Department of Veteran Affairs (V.A.), many of which rely on the V.A. for life saving medical treatments and care.”  

Highlighting the devastating consequences of these mass firings, the senators underscored the Trump Administration’s layoffs have already disrupted critical operations at agencies that millions of Americans depend on for survival. 

“Among the 2,400 employees fired from the V.A. since Mr. Trump’s inauguration are workers who purchase medical supplies, schedule appointments and arrange rides for patients to see their doctors,” wrote the senators, citing a New York Times report. “Additionally, taxpayers seeking in-person assistance as they navigate the 2025 filing season may find the support centers they previously relied on completely relocated or shuttered. That risk is a direct consequence of the Administration’s mass dismissals and decision to terminate over 100 IRS offices with Tax Assistance Centers (TAC) – which provide free, in-person assistance for those seeking it.”

The senators are requesting that IGs examine whether these dismissals violated agency policies and assess the damage to agency missions, public safety, and national security, calling for an initial review to be completed within 60 days, with findings made available to the public to ensure transparency and accountability.  

In addition to Sen. Cantwell, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators and Ranking Members Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Special Committee on Aging, Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Committee on Appropriations, Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Committee on Armed Services, Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Committee on Environment and Public Works, Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Committee on Finance, Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Committee on Foreign Relations, Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Committee on the Judiciary, Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Committee on the Budget and Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

The full text of the letter can be found below and here. 

To Inspectors General:

We write regarding the Trump Administration’s recent, unprecedented mass dismissals of federal employees and related personnel management decisions. We request that each of your offices immediately review these recent – and if applicable, future – employment actions at your respective agencies and evaluate whether such actions violate agency policies or procedures, and whether these decisions could – contrary to the Administration’s stated aim – create additional waste and inefficiency or allow fraud or misconduct in impacted federal programs to go unchecked.

In recent weeks, at the behest of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), nearly every agency in the federal government has moved to terminate thousands of employees in the probationary phase of their employment. These employees appear to have been dismissed for dubious unspecified “performance” reasons. Civil servants around the country who were fired by the Trump Administration, or who supervised or worked with those who were, have been speaking out to present evidence of positive performance reviews, awards, and other indications that their work was not only satisfactory but, in many cases, exemplary. This evidence, which is also documented in public reporting, directly contradicts assertions that such firings were due to employees’ “performance.”

The indiscriminate terminations of employees in probationary status began immediately after agencies had already placed over 75,000 employees into administrative leave as part of the unprecedented “deferred resignation” program. Federal employees received the “deferred resignation” offer directly from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) rather than their employing agency and without the input of agency management, encouraging widespread resignations. In return, OPM promised continued payment of salaries and benefits several months past the date agencies were currently funded, essentially paying employees not to work.

In addition, there is no sign that the mass removals of federal employees from their positions will slow down in the coming weeks and months. The Office of Management and Budget and OPM set a March 13 deadline for agencies to submit plans for a large-scale reduction-in-force and reorganization, pursuant to an executive order issued on February 11, 2025.  Agencies are directed to collaborate with DOGE while developing their plans and use their personnel plans for operating during a shutdown as a blueprint for further eliminating positions and terminating employees.  Agencies are also in the process of identifying traditionally nonpartisan career positions to reclassify into functionally at-will positions under the reinstated Schedule Policy/Career (formerly Schedule F) executive order. The reclassification will remove appeals rights for wide swaths of civil servants.

A federal court concluded that the OPM’s direction to terminate employees at multiple federal agencies was “illegal, invalid, and must be stopped.” Additionally, the Special Counsel requested a stay of the termination of six probationary employees, which the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) granted after concluding that there were reasonable grounds to believe the agencies engaged in prohibited personnel practices. On February 28, the Special Counsel requested an additional stay from MSPB, which they granted, for over 5,000 probationary employees who were terminated at the Department of Agriculture and which OSC concluded appear to “have been carried out in a manner inconsistent with federal personnel laws.” On March 4, OPM changed course and revised its January 20 memorandum on probationary periods and administrative leave to clarify that OPM was not explicitly directing agencies to take specific actions and that agencies have ultimate decision-making authority on personnel actions.  A March 13 U.S. District Court order in one lawsuit held that the mass firings were unlawful and required reinstatement, which the Ninth Circuit declined to overturn. In a separate proceeding, another U.S. District Court has ordered all probationary employees affected by the mass firings to be reinstated. The Trump Administration has said it is working to reinstate nearly 25,000 federal employees that were summarily fired but stated that these workers would now be placed on administrative leave, sowing even more confusion and potential waste and abuse.

The decision to terminate thousands of employees across multiple federal agencies will impose undue hardship on millions of Americans who rely on their services. The loss of experienced agency staff may risk causing serious disruptions to nearly 73 million Americans who rely on the Social Security Administration (SSA) to administer retiree and disability benefits and 9.1 million veterans who depend on the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), many of which rely on the VA for life saving medical treatments and care. For example, public reporting suggests, “Among the 2,400 employees fired from the VA since Mr. Trump’s inauguration are workers who purchase medical supplies, schedule appointments and arrange rides for patients to see their doctors.” Additionally, taxpayers seeking in-person assistance as they navigate the 2025 filing season may find the support centers they previously relied on completely relocated or shuttered. That risk is a direct consequence of the Administration’s mass dismissals and decision to terminate over 100 IRS offices with Tax Assistance Centers (TAC) – which provide free, in- person assistance for those seeking it.

We therefore request that you review the extent to which mass dismissals, including both layoffs of employees in probationary status and other Administration efforts to downsize the agency workforce, have and will impact agency operations and contribute to waste, fraud, and abuse in federal programs. For example, the Inspector General of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) issued a February 10, 2025 advisory detailing the harmful impacts, including the risk of significant waste, of the Administration’s mass layoffs at that agency. We request an initial review to this effect be completed within 60 days of receipt of this letter, resulting in a public advisory or analysis.

 Additionally, we request that you review the mass dismissals themselves, with attention to the following questions:

 1.         Irrespective of potential violations of federal law, to what extent did mass dismissals violate any regulation, or agency policy or procedure?

2.         Under what authority, if any, were employees terminated, dismissed or placed on administrative leave, and who directed the terminations?

3.         To what extent were agency mission, public safety, services to Americans, and national security considered in determinations to carry out mass dismissals?

4.         As a result of the mass dismissals, were agency mission, public safety, services to Americans, or national security impacted or compromised?

5.         Have the mass dismissals contributed to or caused waste, fraud or abuse, including but not limited to a compromised or impacted agency mission, including re-hiring employees that were hastily fired?

6.         To what extent, if any, were individual performance issues previously documented prior to the terminations of probationary employees?

7.         Have mass dismissals at the agency impacted the work of the OIG, including access to data, information, systems, or staff needed or relied upon to conduct audits or investigations?

Thank you for your prompt attention and cooperation in this matter.

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