By Raphael Satter
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Layoffs at the U.S. General Services Administration, the agency which manages the federal government’s real estate portfolio, began on Wednesday, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The layoffs affect probationary employees, who are being called up individually and pressured into either resigning or facing being put on leave and then terminated, the two people said. The sources did not know how many people were affected in total and the GSA did not immediately return an email seeking comment on the move.
The GSA oversees most government contracts, manages federal property, and oversees several basic federal government functions. The Technology Transformation Services division is responsible for FedRAMP, which sets cybersecurity standards for government contractors, and Login.gov, which ordinary citizens use to access their Social Security statements online.
Along with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), GSA was one of the earliest agencies targeted by billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk, who was appointed by President Donald Trump to oversee the so-called Department of Government Efficiency aimed at reducing the federal workforce.
(Reporting by Raphael Satter; editing by Diane Craft)
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