A federal watchdog is challenging the Trump administration's mass firing of more than 5,000 probationary government employees, even as he fights in court to keep his own job after President Donald Trump attempted to remove him.
Under Trump, the administration has sought to shrink the federal workforce by firing thousands of government employees deemed "non-mission-critical" without performance reviews, Politico reported.
At the same time, Trump has moved to dismiss officials overseeing these protections, including Special Counsel Hampton Dellinger and Head of the Merit Systems Protection Board Cathy Harris, both of whom were appointed by former President Joe Biden.
On Friday, Dellinger filed a petition with the Merit Systems Protection Board, arguing that the Department of Agriculture's mass firing of more than 5,000 probationary employees violated federal civil-service protections.
Dellinger requested a 45-day reinstatement for the affected workers while his office investigates what he called "systemic merit systems abuses," according to the petition.
A week earlier, Dellinger had successfully secured a temporary order blocking the dismissal of six federal workers from various agencies. Now, his fight has expanded to include thousands.
Dellinger's petition could force the Trump administration to reverse the firings temporarily, but the legal battle is likely to escalate.
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