The Office of Personnel Management met with agencies across the federal government on Thursday and directed them to fire all employees still on probation a year or more after being hired. Federal employees can be on probation from one to two years after being hired.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump's administration began a mass firing of federal workers Thursday. Office of Personnel Management officials met with agency leaders and advised them to dismiss probationary employees, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Thousands of employees were already let go as of Thursday, a number that is expected to skyrocket in the coming days.

The U.S. government began firing hundreds of people at multiple agencies on Thursday as President Donald Trump and Elon Musk accelerate their purge of America's federal bureaucracy, union sources and employees familiar with the moves told Reuters.