Hundreds Of Employees Fired By DOGE Return To Work

Topline

Hundreds of General Services Administration employees fired by the Department of Government Efficiency are being asked to return to work in the latest reversal of Elon Musk’s cuts to the federal workforce, according to a new report.

Elon Musk listens as reporters ask U.S. President Donald Trump and South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa questions during a press availability in the Oval Office at the White House on May 21, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Getty ImagesKey Facts

The rehired employees at GSA, which manages federal buildings and property leases, were given until the end of the week to accept or decline reinstatement and must return to work by Oct. 6, the Associated Press reported, citing an internal memo.

DOGE reduced staffing at the agency headquarters by 79%, cut 65% of portfolio managers and 35% of facilities managers, according to an unnamed federal official cited by the AP.

Hundreds of federal leases for multiple government agencies cancelled by Musk’s cost-cutting agency have also been rolled back.

GSA is the latest agency to bring back employees DOGE sought to cut, following rehirings at the Internal Revenue Service, the Labor Department and the National Park Service.

Big Number

$140 million. That’s how much DOGE estimates the federal leases it canceled will save, down from an initial $460 million estimate, the AP reported, citing former GSA official Chad Becker.

Chief Critic

“It’s created costly confusion while undermining the very services taxpayers depend on,” Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., who sits on the House committee overseeing the GSA, told the AP, adding there’s no evidence the GSA cuts “delivered any savings.”

Which Other Agencies Have Rehired Fired Doge Employees?

The Food and Drug Administration, the IRS, Labor Department, Agriculture Department, National Nuclear Security Administration and National Park Service, among others. The IRS last month asked some workers who took buyouts from DOGE to return to their jobs, the Washington Post reported, citing an internal email that told workers the “IRS has identified areas where staffing reductions created a potential gap in mission critical expertise.” The Agriculture Department asked back some bird flu response employees amid an outbreak earlier this year. The Energy Department rehired nuclear weapons experts, the Labor Department rehired employees who took the buyout programs after months of leave with pay, Bloomberg reported earlier this month. The National Park Service also quickly restored at least 50 jobs eliminated by DOGE earlier this year, the AP reported previously.

Key Background

Many of the federal employees DOGE sought to terminate and have since been asked back have been receiving pay while they haven’t been working, racking up costs for taxpayers as some of the agencies have struggled to maintain government services amid the staffing reductions. GSA also racked up costs from fees property owners charged in cases where DOGE has cancelled leases, but government agencies haven’t vacated the properties, according to the AP. More than 480 of the leases DOGE targeted for elimination were spared, the AP reported. DOGE has faced multiple lawsuits and criticism from lawmakers and advocacy groups over the firings. While some agencies have called back workers who took the DOGE buyouts, which allowed them to receive months of pay even after they stopped working, other agencies have hired new employees to fill the gaps. The National Weather Service, for example, hired about 125 new meteorologists ahead of hurricane season after more than 560 employees were laid off or retired early and the National Park Service hired nearly 3,000 additional seasonal employees than initially planned.

Hundreds Of Employees Fired By DOGE Return To Work

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