Protesters gather on March 14, 2025, during a rally on the National Mall in Washington to protest cuts to veterans jobs, services and benefits. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)
WASHINGTON — More than 24,000 probationary employees fired from federal jobs in a massive workforce reduction are being notified by email this week that their jobs were reinstated after a pair of federal court rulings ordered them back to work.
The Department of Veterans Affairs, U.S. Agency for International Development, the Labor Department, Environmental Protection Agency and several other federal agencies said in a filing Monday night in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland that the terminations of probationary employees are being rescinded, in compliance with recent court rulings.
However, most of the fired workers are being reinstated — on paper — and then placed on paid administrative leave, according to court documents, as President Donald Trump’s administration appeals the court rulings in Maryland and California.
Army veteran David Pasquino said Tuesday that he remains hopeful that he will fully return to his job after receiving an email from the VA on Monday night stating he was rehired but placed on paid leave.
Veterans make up roughly 30% of the federal workforce. Pasquino, a former staff sergeant, served in the Army for 18 years with tours in Iraq.
“I am counting on continuing my career to serve my country and veterans,” said Pasquino, who worked as a VA human resources specialist in Florida.
Pasquino was among 1,683 former VA employees out of 1,900 terminated who are being notified their jobs are restored, according to court documents. Most of the fired employees have less than a year or two on the job and lacked the employment protections of more seasoned workers.
“An appellate ruling could reverse the district court’s order shortly after terminated employees have been reinstated … or have returned to full duty status. In short, employees could be subjected to multiple changes in their employment status in a matter of weeks,” Mark Engelbaum, assistant VA secretary, said in court documents. “Nonetheless, VA has immediately begun rescinding the notice of termination and reinstating the employment of the affected probationary employees.”
Monday night’s 64-page court filing provided an agency-by-agency account of the job terminations and the numbers of probationary employees affected.
A federal district judge in Maryland ordered multiple federal agencies to rehire probationary workers after a challenge was filed by 19 states and the District of Columbia.
“The government conducted massive layoffs, but it gave no advance notice,” Judge James Bredar wrote in a March 13 ruling. “It claims it wasn’t required to because, it says, it dismissed each one of these thousands of probationary employees for ‘performance’ or other individualized reasons. On the record before the court, this isn’t true. There were no individualized assessments of employees. They were all just fired. Collectively.”
His ruling was the second court order on the same day that overturned the firings of new federal workers ordered by the Trump administration and blocked additional terminations of new federal workers.
In federal district court in California, Judge William Alsup ordered the VA and five other federal agencies to reinstate fired probationary employees to their jobs, effective immediately.
Alsup asked the Office of Personnel Management on Monday to explain why fired probationary workers are being place on administrative leave, which was not part of his court order. A response could be filed as early as Tuesday evening, according to court documents.
Pasquino said he hopes the move to put workers such as himself on paid leave is only a delay as the logistics are sorted out for rehiring a vast number of federal workers.
Trump has pledged to reduce the federal workforce as part of a downsizing of the federal government. More than 2 million people work for the federal government. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, has said the Trump administration will fight “this absurd and unconstitutional order.”
Federal agency leaders complying with the court orders said returning probationary workers to full-duty status will cause significant burden and create confusion, as the rulings are appealed by the Trump administration.
Probationary workers will receive back pay from their date of termination to their date of reinstatement, according to court documents.
“I’m trying to understand the information as I only got the email last night. I’m just happy to be back in federal service,” Pasquino said.
