1. United States
2. Va.
3. Letter

The mass firing of probationary federal employees is deeply concerning and detrimental to the federal workforce and government operations. My family is personally affected by this policy, as my partner is a probationary employee whose career and our dream of owning a home in Northern Virginia have been halted. Dismissing recently hired talent represents a massive loss of skills and investment that agencies desperately need. This action undermines the ability to effectively serve the public by gutting the pipeline of new civil servants. Many of those terminated received positive performance reviews and had supervisors advocating to retain them, yet they were summarily dismissed with little due process. This arbitrary purge throws away years of recruitment and training efforts. It will drive away the next generation of public servants and exacerbate the government's struggles to attract top talent amid recruiting challenges. Agencies need the flexibility to build a skilled, modern workforce prepared for evolving priorities and technologies. Indiscriminately axing probationary employees, including those in mission-critical roles supporting veterans and other vulnerable populations, is shortsighted and will ultimately impede the federal government's ability to fulfill its responsibilities to the American people. This harmful policy must be reversed to uphold the merit principles and allow agencies to cultivate the workforce they need to meet current and future demands.