New Mexico congressional delegation urges Trump to stop federal firings

New Mexico’s congressional delegation is urging President Donald Trump to stop mass layoffs of probationary employees at federal agencies.

The delegation sent a letter to Trump on Thursday evening highlighting concerns that the layoffs may be illegal and could economically damage New Mexico, which has approximately 2,200 probationary federal employees.

“Federal employment is a major contributor to New Mexico’s economy, supporting thousands of families and generating significant local revenue,” reads the letter, signed by all five members of the state’s congressional delegation. “Large-scale firings of probationary employees would ripple through our communities, reducing consumer spending, straining local businesses, and creating unnecessary economic instability.”

Probationary employees, sometimes defined as employees who worked in their jobs for less than one year and sometimes for less than two years, were fired at the Education Department, the Office of Personnel Management and the Small Business Administration on Wednesday and Thursday. The layoffs come after a Tuesday executive order from Trump telling agency heads to prepare for reductions in force. The order explicitly excludes military personnel and says positions needed for meeting national security, homeland security or public safety responsibilities can be exempted.

Approximately 2,200 federal employees are in a probationary period in New Mexico, according to the letter, while 200,000 are on probationary status across the entire federal workforce. Nationally, 27% of probationary federal employees are under the age of 30.

The delegation is concerned about the legality of the firings.

“Federal law permits the termination of probationary employees based on performance or conduct. It does not allow for large-scale firings without individualized assessments or adherence to Reduction in Force procedures. Additionally, it explicitly prohibits dismissing probationary employees for partisan political reasons,” the letter reads.

The abrupt terminations could also discourage people from taking federal jobs in the future, the letter says, by making it seem that federal jobs are unstable.

There are federal employees on probationary status in New Mexico at the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service and the Veterans Health Administration. The delegation points to the potential public safety repercussions if the Trump administration decides to lay off probationary employees in the FBI, which has an Albuquerque office.

“Recent reports highlight the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s extensive training and reliance on probationary employees, with new agents and support staff actively investigating crimes nationwide,” the letter reads. “Dismissing these employees could have dire consequences on national security and public safety.”

The layoffs come after a deferred resignation offer the Trump administration sent to the majority of the federal workforce, which closed Wednesday after being allowed to move forward by a federal judge. Approximately 77,000 employees accepted the offer, according to the White House. That offer was not open to employees who worked in immigration enforcement, military personnel or U.S. Postal Service employees.