Pentagon reportedly halting mass layoffs of probationary employees pending review

The Department of Defense (DOD) has reportedly paused its planned mass firings of probationary employees pending further review, two sources told CNN Friday.

The plan to fire nearly 50,000 civilian employees was reportedly paused until Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and the Pentagon’s Office of General Counsel conduct a review of its impact on military readiness, according to CNN. The move was initially part of a plan from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to cut down on excess spending in the DOD as they enact sweeping budget cuts across the federal government.’

“We’re working with the Department of Government Efficiency—DOGE—to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse, cutting fat and redundancies at headquarters so we can save your dollars and reinvest them wisely,” Hegseth said in a video posted to X Thursday. We’re reevaluating our workforce to ensure every position is mission-critical, restoring accountability to the federal workforce.”

Title 10 section 129a of the US Code states that the defense secretary “may not reduce the civilian workforce programmed full-time equivalent levels unless the Secretary conducts an appropriate analysis.”

Officials from DOGE claim to have already saved an estimated $55 billion in federal spending.

Moreover, Hegseth wrote to senior Pentagon leadership Tuesday that he wanted an 8% reduction in the defense budget in each of the next five years. He clarified on X Thursday that the move didn’t cut funds explicitly but was instead “redirecting funds away from non-lethal, less critical programs.”

The Pentagon deferred to Hegseth’s announcement on X when the Daily Caller News Foundation reached out for comment.

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