Inside Trump’s federal worker firings

President Trump’s widespread firings of federal employees has reached every level of government, but critics say his selection of who to axe is hardly arbitrary.

In just a few weeks on the job, President Trump has fired numerous inspectors general, forced out top FBI officials and overseen a purge of federal employees.

Some of the removals have targeted a series of officials sure to conduct oversight of Trump’s actions.

Other firings have been described by critics as retribution against agencies and institutions Trump has feuded with. Many have targeted the Democratic leaders of boards designed to handle employee complaints or protect consumer interests.

And then there is Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which have sought to shrink the entire government with broad workforce reductions.