Protest on Feb. 19 on the firings of thousands of federal workers by U.S. President Donald Trump. (Getty Images)
The crashed flight in Canada, which resulted in no deaths, unfolded as news broke that the Trump administration had culled hundreds of probationary employees at the Federal Aviation Association (FAA), which became a focal point of many media reports that linked the crash to the Trump cuts.
Media outlets stretching from the Associated Press to local papers and British outlets also revisited January's deadly Washington, D.C., crash while reporting on the FAA cuts. The D.C. crash left 67 people dead when an Army helicopter and passenger flight collided near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, marking the deadliest U.S. plane crash since 2001.
Fox News Digital spoke to an administration official who explained the Office of Personnel Management's policies on probationary employees and the independent agency's mission to ensure "federal workforce is composed of qualified, high-performing individuals who support the mission of federal agencies."
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is an independent agency that works as the federal government's human resources department, including providing policy, oversight and benefits for federal employees.
A federal employee's probationary period is considered part of the job application process, and does not serve as an entitlement for permanent employment, the administration official said. Under OPM guidance, a person's employment is not final until the probationary period concludes, with the onus on the workers to demonstrate their qualifications to achieve permanent employment.
The probationary period allows agency leaders to fully assess the performance of a worker and determine if they are fit for permanent roles. The agencies are then tasked with prioritizing the hiring of probationary employees who exemplify the highest standards, retaining them for mission-critical roles.
Separation of a probationary employee from the agency, on the flip side, should be done as soon as possible while also in accordance with agency policies and collective bargaining agreements, the administration official explained. Agencies are tasked with simultaneously aligning performance evaluations with both organizational goals and the current workforce reduction directive under the Trump administration.
Agency leaders are required to send reports to OPM regrading retained or terminated probationary employees, including providing probation end dates and details on deferred resignation agreements, and justifications as to why a probationary employee was retained.
As probationary employees face terminations amid the Trump administration's efforts to align the federal government with the president's "Make America Great Again" agenda, which includes cutting government fat and stamping out fraud and mismanagement. Democrats and government employees have repeatedly staged protests against the cuts or spoken out about them in media interviews and on social media. Lawsuits, including class action suits, have also increasingly mounted amid the Trump administration's terminations.
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Demonstrators hold signs in support of federal workers during a President's Day protest near the Capitol in Washington, D.C. Feb. 17, 2025. (Getty Images)
The Trump administration official stressed in comments to Fox Digital that OPM is focused on ensuring only the most qualified workers are hired for permanent employment within the federal government.
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"OPM’s approach is rooted in ensuring the federal workforce is composed of qualified, high-performing individuals who support the mission of federal agencies," the official said. "The focus on performance during the probationary period aligns with broader efforts to increase government efficiency and accountability."
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-admin-lays-out-roles-probationary-employees-dems-claim-critical-employees-being-culled