U.S. President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk, one of his closest advisers, have mounted a sweeping campaign to slash the size of the 2.3 million-strong federal workforce, firing at least 9,500 employees this week in an unprecedented effort that shows no sign of slowing.

A day after the Trump administration ended its federal buyout offer, the administration has begun mass layoffs across multiple federal agencies.

The Trump administration is intensifying its sweeping efforts to shrink the size of the federal workforce by ordering agencies to lay off all probationary employees who had not yet gained civil servic

The job cuts are being imposed unilaterally, without the approval of Congress to shrink or overhaul federal agencies.

The USDA employee was among thousands of federal workers across the country hit with layoffs that began on Thursday with little prior notice, targeting probationary workers—those who have been employed by the federal government for less than one or two years and are easier to fire.