DOGE's 'Valentine's Day Massacre' fires 25,000 federal workers en masse

In what was dubbed the 'Valentine's Day Massacre,' DOGE facilitated the mass firing of approximately 25,000 federal probationary workers—recent hires or employees who had recently switched positions. Employees were terminated via form letters citing 'changing priorities' with minimal notice. The firings caused immediate chaos: the USDA fired then tried to rehire employees combating bird flu; the Department of Energy sought to rehire hundreds of nuclear-bomb specialists weeks after terminating them. Federal judges later ruled the mass firings illegal and ordered thousands reinstated, but the administration continued its assault on the civil service.

"Many workers were fired in what was dubbed the 'Valentine's Day Massacre.'" — Media coverage of the mass terminations