Washington: An independent federal board has ordered the United States Department of Agriculture to temporarily reinstate nearly 6,000 probationary employees fired during President Donald Trump's efforts to cut the federal workforce.

According to Anadolu Agency, Cathy Harris, chair of the US Merit Systems Protection Board, issued an order requiring the department to temporarily reinstate 5,600 fired probationary employees for 45 days. The order targets probationary workers who have been in their roles for about a year or less and received uniform termination letters. These letters indicated that their continued employment was not in the public interest based on performance evaluations.

The decision follows allegations from the Office of Special Counsel concerning prohibited personnel practices during the mass firings. The board will continue its investigation throughout the reinstatement period. Harris mandated that the terminated workers be "placed in the positions that they held prior to the probationary terminations" for the duration of 45 days.

Harris noted finding reasonable grounds to believe that the agency violated federal laws. The 45-day period is intended to "minimize the adverse consequences of the apparent prohibited personnel practice." The Trump administration had attempted to fire Harris, but a federal judge in Washington, DC ruled the firing unlawful on Tuesday, blocking her removal from the board before her term's conclusion in three years. The administration is appealing the judge's decision.

Among the initial firings were employees engaged in combating the current bird flu outbreak, which has resulted in at least one human death and increased egg prices. The department later claimed these firings occurred "accidentally" and was working to rehire the affected personnel.

Since taking office on January 20, the Trump administration has initiated mass firings of federal workers as part of a cost-cutting strategy, despite employee expenses being approximately 6% of federal spending. Critics argue that these firings are unlawful, as Congress allocates the funding, and reckless, given the impact on critical areas such as disaster relief, nuclear safety, and weather forecasting.