Concerns over layoffs in the US

According to Reuters, thousands of employees have been laid off from various government agencies in the US, many of whom were recently hired on temporary and probationary basis in departments such as the Department of Veterans Affairs, Education and the Small Business Administration.

According to the news agency, which cited an official with knowledge of the Trump administration's decision, representatives from the Office of Human Resources Management, which is in charge of hiring federal employees, met with agencies that are involved and suggested that they terminate temporary workers.

About 280,000 of the 2.3 million federal workers in the civilian sector were hired in the last two years, according to US government data. The majority of these workers are still on temporary and probationary contracts, making it simpler to fire them.

Trump claims the federal government is too big and that too much money is wasted or stolen. The federal government is about $39 trillion in debt and ran a $1.8 trillion deficit last year.

Trump’s Republican allies, who control the majority in Congress, have largely supported Trump’s actions, while Democrats say he is overstepping his constitutional authority to control the federal budget.