Trump administration must reinstate 24,000 federal workers after court ruling

The Trump administration has begun the process of reinstating more than 24,000 probationary federal workers who were laid off as part of an effort to reduce the size of the federal government, according to court documents filed in one of two cases that declared such layoffs illegal.

Federal District Judge James Bredar, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, last week ordered the mass reinstatement of probationary employees fired at 18 federal agencies.

The judge’s decision was based on his determination that the government's claims, which justified the firings because of "performance" issues, "isn’t true."

This ruling follows a similar order issued hours earlier by another federal judge in San Francisco, who also found the layoffs illegal at six agencies, which were similarly covered by Bredar's decision.

Documents filed by the government Monday night reveal that the administration has taken steps to reinstate more than 24,000 probationary federal employees, offering the most detailed view yet of the scope of the layoffs.

According to statements from agency officials, most of the reinstated workers have been placed on paid administrative leave, although some have already fully resumed their duties.

However, officials caution that this process could lead to complications. In particular, they noted that full reinstatement of employees, which requires reintegrating and retraining them, could result in "significant confusion and upheaval" if an appellate ruling reverses Bredar's decision.

Along those lines, Reesha Trznadel, acting director of human capital at the Department of Energy (DOE), expressed in one of the statements that "reinstatement of removed employees to full duty status could impose burdens on DOE and cause significant confusion and turmoil for the terminated employees,” either because of the current court order or another administrative disposition.

The Trump Administration has pushed for reform of the federal bureaucracy, including the layoff of thousands of probationary employees in order to reduce the size of government and take care of Americans' money.