Thousands of federal workers have been fired since late last week, including probationary employees with the U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service in Wisconsin, according to Wisconsin Public Radio.
The mass layoffs come as the Trump administration takes sweeping steps to slash the federal workforce, with job cuts led by Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency. The firings follow a Feb. 11 executive order issued by President Donald Trump to scale back the number of workers.
The U.S. Forest Service is firing 3,475 employees nationwide, said Matt Brossard, general vice president of the Forest Service Council with the National Federation of Federal Employees union. The Forest Service Council represents about 20,000 employees, including workers in Wisconsin. The Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest includes portions of Oconto and Florence counties.
“The U.S. Forest Service manages national forests, manages all the recreation areas, campgrounds, visitor centers, all of that is going to take a hit,” Brossard told WPR.
The agency did not immediately provide details on the firings in Wisconsin.
