Beyond that, DOGE’s haphazard cuts are difficult to codify because they have a weak legal foundation and are hard to explain, let alone justify (hence the repeat un-firings). In a closed-door meeting last Thursday with USAID Deputy Administrator–designate Pete Marocco,

Alexzandria Hunt said she “felt like a kid in a candy store” after hearing probationary federal workers could be reinstated.

One was the person behind the welcome desk at a Massachusetts Veterans Affairs outreach center, the first face struggling veterans saw when they came for help. Another was the Energy Department employee responsible for knowing the thousand-page permit required for the disposal of hazardous waste.