Fired Workers Rejoin Federal Agencies Only to Be Placed on Paid Leave

Due to recent court rulings, federal workers are going back to work—but they will be placed on paid leave.

A representative from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) informed The Hill that due to a court-issued restraining order, they were revoking the termination notices for 419 employees.

The representative stated that these employees are primarily "on administrative leave."

The Hill similarly acquired a notification from the Commerce Department addressed to an employee they had dismissed. This document stated that the individual would return to their position; however, until further notice, this person would remain in a "paid leave without assigned duties" status.

The worker will stay on paid leave until either the legal proceedings conclude or the division opts for an alternative decision, as indicated in the document seen by The Hill. They could face termination once more based on how the entire situation unfolds.

It isn’t readily apparent how many individuals got these notifications or if other agencies were also putting staff on paid leave. A source informed The Hill that some coworkers at Commerce have been reinstated but placed back on leave status.

Dozens of thousands of employees throughout the public sector were let go following an order to dismiss staff members deemed " probationary" – individuals who had recently joined their respective agencies or received promotions.

The Hill had earlier reported that several hundred within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which falls under the Department of Commerce, and around 400 at the EPA were released as part of this cleanup.

The Commerce Department and the White House did not promptly reply to The Hill’s inquiries for comments.

The most recent update follows this situation closely. judge ruled last week that probationary employees needed to be reinstated.

Nonetheless, further dismissals are anticipated in the coming weeks as the Trump administration aims for additional staffing reductions. Another 1,000 workers are scheduled to be reduced at NOAA, while the National Park Service might lose 30 percent of its staff salaries .

Julia Shapero contributed.

Updated at 7:13 PM EDT

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