Federal Workers Face Uncertainty After Court-Ordered Reinstatements

Raphael Garcia, a Department of Veterans Affairs analyst who was fired last month during President Donald Trump’s initiative to reduce the federal workforce, learned this week of his reinstatement following orders from two federal judges.

However, Garcia’s professional uncertainty continues. Rather than returning to work, he has been placed on administrative leave while the Trump administration appeals the judge’s rulings.

Though verbally assured he’ll receive back pay during his leave period, the tumultuous early days of Trump’s second term have left Garcia skeptical. “I’ll believe it when I see it,” he told NBC News, noting he won’t know if his salary has resumed until late March’s pay period ends.

Garcia is among 24,000 probationary federal workers caught in career uncertainty as Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency works to transform federal bureaucracy. These employees have experienced abrupt terminations and reinstatements, with many unclear about their futures.

Many rehired probationary workers—those employed less than two years—were immediately placed on administrative leave, maintaining their pay while suspended temporarily. Meanwhile, civil servants face potential additional rounds of terminations in the coming months.

“I don’t fully trust this administration and its appointees on whether I’ll get to go back to work,” said one Federal Emergency Management Agency employee who was fired, rehired, and placed on leave. “I’ve been out of work for a full month.”

The FEMA employee was informed by email about temporary reinstatement and told to expect contact from human resources regarding benefits and return-to-work paperwork. However, he reports no communication has occurred.

Speaking anonymously due to reprisal concerns, the employee has begun seeking other employment opportunities. “I’d rather continue my work for FEMA and the American people,” he said, but “if I pass on another opportunity, but then get terminated again in a couple weeks, it could make a bad situation even worse.”

He expressed distrust toward Trump’s political appointees: “They have already broken my confidence and trust. It’s hard to know where we go from here… It’s so confusing and so chaotic.”

Federal employees reported inconsistent communication about recent developments. Some reinstated workers received email notifications, while others got phone calls from managers.

Sarah Boim, a probationary CDC employee fired in February, had not received any reinstatement notice as of Thursday. She faces a paradox—wondering if her notice was sent to a CDC email account she lost access to after termination.

“We need transparency. We’re being lied to. It’s unacceptable,” she said.

A Consumer Financial Protection Bureau employee believes the administration intends to “honor this reinstatement” only while mass firing initiatives remain blocked by federal judges. “It’s all just so clearly in bad faith,” said the employee, also speaking anonymously due to professional concerns.

The government has acknowledged that reinstated employees face hurdles before resuming work. In Justice Department appeal filings, federal officials argued that restoring “removed employees to full duty status would impose substantial burdens” on agencies, “cause significant confusion, and cause turmoil for the terminated employees.”

An EPA human capital operations director noted in a filing that reinstated employees would require re-onboarding, including “training, human resources paperwork, new security badges, re-enrolling in benefits programs and payroll, reinstituting security clearance actions, receiving government equipment, and other administrative actions.”

Garcia doesn’t view these administrative requirements as burdensome. He’s eager to return to work and help his agency manage what he describes as a mounting workload caused by staff reductions.

“It does not cause us turmoil to be reinstated,” Garcia said. “I loved what I did. I’m a disabled veteran and I know the struggles of transitioning out of the military.” He added that the real turmoil was “being initially terminated” and being unable “to serve my fellow veteran community.”