When the National Security Council’s career staff held a video call at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, the sense of fear had already settled in.
They knew exactly what President Trump believed about the Council: that it was the core of the deep state, whose staff, almost all of them from the Departments of State and Defense or other agencies, had turned against him in his first term.
So it was no surprise when word dropped. In a brief meeting that lasted only a few minutes – no questions asked please – they were told to pack their bags and go home. They were told to stay away from your email and wait for further instructions, and some of you will be invited to apply for your old jobs.
A few minutes after noon, staffers at the National Security Council, who deal with crises around the world, were leaving their offices for a lunch break from which many did not return.
However, these may be the lucky ones: no one has been fired. Many will simply return to their old agencies and look for jobs.
It was an early but exciting step toward Mr. Trump’s ambitious goal of firmly putting his stamp on the federal bureaucracy. Mr. Trump and his team have been planning for months to begin rooting out disloyal workers — or worse — and replacing them with political allies committed to his agenda.
Each new president appoints thousands of new government officials, most of whom are political allies.
But experts say Trump’s long-term intentions are clear, sent by an executive order he signed on his first day in office giving himself new power to fire civil servants who since the 1880s have enjoyed special job protections meant to insulate them from partisan shifting. . Wind.
“We are getting rid of every cancer,” Mr. Trump said as he signed the executive order, known as Schedule F. The cancer caused by the Biden administration.”
Schedule F could lead to the firing of 50,000 or more employees and “would be a massive reshaping of the federal workforce,” said Rachel Augustine Potter, an assistant professor at the University of Virginia who studies federal bureaucracy.
“Much of the dismantling of the ‘administrative state’ that Trump talked about in 1.0 was more than just talk, but now it appears they have a plan in motion,” she said.
Advocates for federal workers call it a looming crisis, though they add that Mr. Trump will have to fight through legal hurdles to implement such dramatic changes. National Treasury Employees Union A lawsuit has already been filed Challenge the plan.
Senator Chris Van Hollen, Democrat of Maryland, said the Trump administration “has begun the deliberate march to transform our merit-based civil service into a patronage-based system, but we will fight them every step of the way.”
He referred to the dismissal of the Commander of the US Coast Guard, Admiral Linda L. Faganwritten by the acting head of the Department of Homeland Security under Mr. Trump, who cited a range of reasons including supposed mismanagement and “overemphasis” on diversity within the service.
“That was a very ominous sign of their plans,” said Mr. Van Hollen, who said he worked closely with Adm. Fagan after a major bridge collapse near Baltimore last March and found her highly qualified.
The meeting with National Security Council staff was an example of the new dynamic. The Council relies on federal agencies for its talent. For those selected, working in the White House for a year or two is often a great opportunity to dive into the top of foreign policy management. They learn to serve presidents of both parties, although it is unclear whether this tradition will continue for the time being.
Mike Waltz, Mr. Trump’s national security adviser, He proposed earlier this month That nothing matters more than his employees’ support for the president’s policies. “Let me be clear: anyone serving under President Trump’s leadership at the National Security Council will be fully aligned with his America First agenda,” Mr. Waltz wrote on social media. (Mr. Waltz was not on the video call on Wednesday.)
When Mr. Trump first became president, his national security adviser, Michael T. Flynn, gathered staffers in a large hall. He set his goals. Many career staff, who were on assignments with six months or a year to go, remained there until their temporary assignments ended. (In fact, it was Mr. Flynn himself who was fired less than a month later. Three more national security advisers would follow.)
Naturally, when NSC specialists were sent home, operations were bound to slow down. These employees know current issues, can log into confidential computer systems and return communications to their local agencies. It was not immediately clear how they would be replaced.
Mr. Trump has said his National Security Council will be smaller. There are fewer deputy national security advisers, and some positions created by President Joseph R. Biden Jr. have been eliminated. But if history is any guide, it will increase in size over time.
The changes have reached the top levels of many other departments and agencies. In the Ministry of Justice, Three of the most senior and influential career officials were reassigned to less important positions By Tuesday afternoon, including a person who worked on the federal investigation into Mr. Trump’s handling of classified documents between his presidency.
Some current and former officials said the departures would cost the department valuable experience and questioned whether the speed of the changes might violate civil service rules.
New management too The FBI was shaken This week, a new acting director and his deputy were appointed, bypassing senior agents considered for their positions.
In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dozens of senior officials resigned from their positions On Monday, at the request of the Trump team, the turnover was faster than some diplomats say is typical for the department, especially given that they have no immediate replacements. Marco Rubio, the former Republican senator from Florida, was sworn in as Secretary of State He took his first meetings In the department on Tuesday
But many career diplomats, well aware that Mr. Trump has called their employer the “deep State Department,” say things could be worse, and they were encouraged by Mr. Rubio’s early comments acknowledging the department’s expertise. Mr. Trump’s first Secretary of State, Rex TillersonHe quickly embarked on what he called a “redesign” of the department that included a proposed 30 percent budget cut, although much of this plan was rejected by Congress.
At the Pentagon, Robert J. Celsius, a longtime Defense Department official, will serve as acting Defense Secretary until a new secretary is confirmed by the Senate. According to a statement from the White House on Monday. The Senate Armed Services Committee voted on Monday to nominate Pete Hegseth, Mr. Trump’s choice to lead the department, but the full Senate may not vote until later in the week.
Three other Pentagon officials They were tapped to serve as acting secretaries of the Army, Navy and Air Force.
The Pentagon on Tuesday also announced the appointments of 32 mid-level officials who do not require Senate confirmation. The officials, including chiefs of staff, policy specialists, lawyers and media officials, represent a skeleton team to begin implementing Mr. Trump’s directives until several political appointees are confirmed over time.
By Wednesday, there were no signs of widespread dismissals within the Department of Defense.
Mr. Salesis, a retired Marine Corps officer, is deputy director of Headquarters Services in Washington, which focuses on human resources, facilities and resource management. He has also held senior policy positions at the Department of Defense, where he oversaw the Pentagon’s support of national defense missions and domestic crisis management.
For many Pentagon officials, the most dramatic development this week was the White House-ordered removal of a building. Portrait of General Mark A. MillieWho served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Mr. Trump. After his retirement, Mr. Milley publicly condemned Mr. Trump as a danger to the nation and a “fascist to the core.”
Some military and civilian officials who served under General Milley are concerned about the possibility of being targeted in any loyalty purge.
Transportation Safety Director David Pekoski was also asked to step down Monday. He was appointed by Mr. Trump but retained by Mr. Biden. His colleagues had expected him to serve a five-year term ending in 2027, and to assume the position of acting head of the Department of Homeland Security.
Devlin Barrett, Helen Cooper, Adam Goldman, Eric Schmidt, Mark Walker and Edward Wong Contributed to reports.
