First reported by The Hill, following mass layoffs that swept regulatory agencies, including those responsible for food safety and foodborne illness response, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has walked back its orders to fire probationary employees at federal agencies.
On January 20, 2025, OPM issued a memoto the heads of federal departments and agencies directing them to identify probationary employees (personnel who had not yet qualified for civil service protections) and reconsider their continued employment, resulting in thousands of layoffs across the government, not excluding those responsible for food safety oversight and foodborne illness response, such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC). “Agencies should identify all employees on probationary periods, and send a report to OPM listing all such employees… In addition, agencies should promptly determine whether those employees should be retained at the agency,” the memo originally said.