(The Hill) — The Department of Homeland Security has fired approximately 400 probationary employees across the department, pledging to remove more.
The firings came after the Office of Personnel Management directed agencies to fire probationary employees, typically those who have been on the job for up to one year.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, we are making sweeping cuts and reform across the federal government to eliminate egregious waste and incompetence that has been happening for decades at the expense of the American taxpayer. Today’s Department of Homeland Security personnel action will result in roughly $50 million in savings for American taxpayers and incalculable value toward accountability and cutting red tape,” a DHS spokesperson said in a statement.
“DHS component leads identified non-mission critical personnel in probationary status. We are actively identifying other wasteful positions and offices that do not fulfill DHS’ mission.”
The $50 million in savings is just a fraction — 0.16 percent — of FEMA’s total $29.5 billion budget.
Among the cuts were more than 130 employees at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which plays a role in helping the private sector prepare for cyberattacks, as well as physical risks.
That agency previously put on administrative leave those who worked on combatting election-related disinformation.
Ten employees at DHS’s Science and Technology Directorate were fired, as well as roughly 50 employees at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which oversees asylum and refugee processing as well as other moves by migrants to adjust their immigration status or seek citizenship.
The biggest cuts were seen at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), where DHS said more than 200 employees on probation were terminated.
FEMA responds to all declared emergencies, and according to The Washington Post, is actively responding to 100 different emergencies currently, including hurricanes Milton and Helene.