Federal agencies are rehiring and recalling employees laid off shortly after President Donald Trump took office as they work to address critical service gaps caused by efforts to reduce the federal workforce under the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The administration’s backtracking comes alongside ongoing hiring to fill vacancies and maintain essential government functions, even as spending-cut plans continue.
Experts Warn of Lost Capacity and Looming Challenges
Experts warn that these rehirings highlight a concerning loss of expertise that will be hard to replace in the months and years ahead. Elaine Kamarck of the Brookings Institution described widespread disruptions across agencies, calling the situation a “time bomb.” Some firings were reversed by courts, while other reinstatements respond to pressure from lawmakers and affected industries.
Several agencies have reversed layoffs to restore critical functions. For example, the National Weather Service, which lost over 560 employees earlier this year, received approval to hire about 125 meteorologists despite a federal hiring freeze to maintain forecasting operations. The Department of Health and Human Services reinstated roughly 450 workers at the CDC who had been dismissed during a reorganization, including teams focused on HIV and childhood lead exposure. Similarly, the Food and Drug Administration rehired over a dozen scientists at a food safety lab, and the Department of Agriculture halted plans to cut staff responding to bird flu outbreaks.
Senator Lisa Murkowski noted that agency leaders like HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have actively blocked planned layoffs in critical programs such as the Indian Health Service, emphasizing the need to maintain staff in underfunded areas.
Impact and Challenges of Workforce Instability
In one notable incident, over 300 probationary employees at the National Nuclear Security Administration were fired and rehired within a day, exposing confusion within agencies responsible for vital national security functions. After firing the entire team managing the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), the agency had to rehire at least one experienced staff member temporarily to ensure the distribution of millions in assistance funds. Questions remain about how the program will be managed moving forward without sufficient experienced personnel.
Federal workers like epidemiologist Scott Laney highlight ongoing chaos across the workforce and stress the real human cost of staffing disruptions, especially regarding workplace safety in hazardous industries like mining. Max Stier, CEO of the Partnership for Public Service, criticized the administration’s pattern as “a mosaic of incompetence,” warning that such mismanagement endangers the government’s ability to handle current and future challenges.
Author’s Opinion
The rapid cycle of layoffs followed by rehiring reveals a lack of strategic workforce planning that threatens essential government services. Cutting experienced staff to meet short-term budget goals sacrifices institutional knowledge and public safety. Federal workforce decisions require a balance between fiscal responsibility and preserving expertise, something the administration has repeatedly failed to achieve.
