- Some probationary workers in the Small Business Administration have been fired, unfired, and re-fired.
- BI spoke to two workers who received termination notices that later got rescinded.
- Those workers both ended up getting terminated despite trying to take buyouts.
Small Business Administration probationary workers were told they were terminated, then not terminated, and then officially terminated, all within five days.
According to emails seen by Business Insider, workers received termination notices on February 7 set to take effect two weeks later, only to get an email on Monday rescinding those notices as “draft letters sent in error.” On Tuesday, the workers received new termination letters, this time effective that day — just minutes after President Trump signed an executive order to reduce federal hiring.
“I’m in disbelief. My directors are shocked too since they didn’t even know I had been terminated until I called them,” said one SBA probationary worker, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation.
“This is the government. You would think it would be more organized,” said Stacy, a probationary worker who requested to be identified only by her first name. “I’ve never encountered anything like this.”
The termination, un-termination, and re-termination come amid the Trump administration’s attempt to reduce the size of the federal workforce. Since taking office, the White House has attempted to shutter USAID, mandated a return to office for all workers, and and implemented a “deferred resignation” program offering buyouts to federal employees. Overseen by the new Department of Government Efficiency headed up by Elon Musk, 65,000 federal workers have accepted buyout offers, according to the White House, while unions challenge the moves in court. Bloomberg News first reported the reversals at the SBA.
As of Wednesday, both Stacy and the other SBA worker were still being asked to attend large team meetings, even after receiving termination notices. The probationary SBA worker said they lost email and Teams access during one meeting, forcing them to dial in via personal cellphone.
All three termination documents directed workers to contact an SBA paralegal for appeals but the phone number listed connects to a luxury apartment leasing company’s voicemail. An email sent to an address matching the paralegal’s name went unanswered.
After the initial termination notice, Stacy and the other SBA worker attempted to take the administration’s “Fork in the Road” deferred resignation proposal, which offers to pay departing federal employees through September 2025. “Multiple coworkers took the ‘Fork in the Road’ offer after learning about my termination because they feared they would be next, although they are unsure if they’ll even see a dime from that offer,” the anonymous worker said.
The White House, DOGE, and the SBA did not immediately respond to BI’s request for comment.
On Tuesday, Trump signed an executive order to reduce federal hiring. Trump was joined in the Oval Office by Elon Musk, who’s been leading the charge on the new Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE; the executive order directs agency heads to work alongside DOGE for new hires.
“I don’t like that federal employees are viewed in such a negative light,” the SBA worker said.
“We are hardworking people, just like those in the private sector. We are not the enemy.”
Stacy said she understands the need to scale down — she believes there are many people working for the government who should not be. But she doesn’t agree with the current methodology for making cuts, which she called a “slash job.”
“Cutting the government — doing it this way — is not the right way,” she said.
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