The mass firings of probationary government workers roiling the federal government are probably illegal, the Office of Special Counsel said yesterday. Via HuffPost:

That decision, issued on Friday but not disclosed until Monday, determined that “there are reasonable grounds to believe that agencies engaged in prohibited personnel practices … by terminating the employees in violation of federal laws and regulations governing probationary terminations and reductions in force.”

While the decision is limited to those six workers, its implication is that all, or nearly all, of the mass firings of probationary government workers by President Donald Trump violate the laws regulating government employment. If the decision holds, it would represent a massive setback for Trump and Department of Government Efficiency leader Elon Musk’s efforts to rapidly shrink the number of federal government employees.

[...] “Firing probationary employees without individualized cause appears contrary to a reasonable reading of the law, particularly the provisions establishing rules for reductions in force,” Dellinger said in a statement on Monday. “Because Congress has directed that OSC ‘shall’ protect government employees from PPPs, I believe I have a responsibility to request a stay of these actions while my agency continues to investigate further the apparent violation of federal personnel laws.”