Chaos Of DOGE Layoffs: GSA Rehires Hundreds

India-West News Desk

WASHINGTON, DC — Hundreds of federal employees who lost their jobs amid Elon Musk’s aggressive cost-cutting at the General Services Administration are being asked to return, marking a reversal after months of staffing chaos, reported The Associated Press.

The agency, which manages government workspaces, has given affected employees until the end of the week to accept or decline reinstatement, AP reported. Those who accept are expected to return on October 6, after a seven-month hiatus during which some continued to receive pay while the government incurred substantial costs to maintain properties whose leases were slated for termination or allowed to expire.

The upheaval left the GSA severely understaffed, complicating the agency’s ability to carry out essential functions. Officials say Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency went too far, too fast, prompting a wave of rehiring across multiple agencies. Last month, the IRS allowed some employees who initially resigned to remain on the job, and the Labor Department and National Park Service have also reinstated personnel following buyouts and early departures, AP reported.

Starting in March, thousands of GSA employees left through resignation or early retirement programs, while hundreds were dismissed in the administration’s effort to shrink the federal workforce. Some continued to receive pay despite not reporting for work. Democrats have criticized the cuts as indiscriminate, questioning whether the reductions yielded any savings. Rep. Greg Stanton of Arizona, top Democrat overseeing the GSA, told AP there is no evidence the layoffs “delivered any savings.”

The agency’s job cuts were deep: headquarters staff fell by 79%, portfolio managers by 65%, and facilities managers by 35%, according to officials briefed on the matter. DOGE’s projected savings from lease cancellations also dropped dramatically, from nearly $460 million to $140 million by the end of July, AP noted.