The Latest: Trump administration sets the stage for large-scale federal worker layoffs

Federal agencies must develop plans to eliminate employee positions, according to a memo distributed by President Donald Trump ’s administration.

Thousands of probationary employees have already been fired, and now his administration is turning its attention to career officials with civil service protection. Agencies are directed to submit by March 13 their plans for what's known as a reduction in force, which would not only lay off employees but eliminate the position altogether. The result could be extensive changes in how government functions.

Here's the latest:

Pentagon orders new purge of social media sites to dump diversity, inclusion mentions by March 5

Building lethality in the military may be the buzzword for the new Trump administration, but busywork and paperwork have become the reality at the Pentagon, as service members and civilian workers are facing a broad mandate to purge all of the department’s social media sites and untangle confusing personnel reduction moves.

On Wednesday, the department’s top public affairs official signed and sent out a new memo requiring all the military services to spend countless hours poring over years of website postings, photos, news articles and videos to remove any mentions that “promote diversity, equity and inclusion.”

If they can’t do that by March 5, they have been ordered to “temporarily remove from public display” all content published during the Biden administration’s four years in office, according to a copy of the memo obtained by The Associated Press.

▶ Read more about the Pentagon’s DEI purge

VA pauses billions in cuts as lawmakers and veterans decry loss of critical care

The Department of Veterans Affairs has temporarily suspended billions of dollars in planned contract cuts following concerns that the move would hurt critical veterans’ health services, lawmakers and veterans service organizations said Wednesday.

The pause affects hundreds of VA contracts that Secretary Doug Collins a day earlier described as simply consulting deals, whose cancellation would save $2 billion as the Trump administration works to slash costs across the federal government.

▶ Read more about the VA cuts

Supreme Court blocks order for Trump administration to release billions in US foreign aid

The Trump administration said it is eliminating more than 90% of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s foreign aid contracts and $60 billion in overall U.S. assistance around the world, putting numbers on its plans to eliminate the majority of U.S. development and humanitarian help abroad.

The cuts detailed by the administration would leave few surviving USAID projects for advocates to try to save in what are ongoing court battles with the administration.

The Trump administration outlined its plans in both an internal memo obtained by The Associated Press and filings in one of those federal lawsuits Wednesday.

The Supreme Court intervened in that case late Wednesday and temporarily blocked a court order requiring the administration to release billions of dollars in foreign aid by midnight.

▶ Read more about the U.S. foriegn aid cuts

Outside the USAID headquarters: Supporters, flowers and a somber mood

The early scene at the USAID headquarters in Washington D.C. was quiet and somber. Few people were there for the first scheduled shift to retrieve their personal belongings.

A small group of supporters stood outside under heavily overcast skies to thank workers for their service but declined to give their names for fear of retribution. There was a small bucket of flowers for the memorial inside to USAID employees who have died in service to the country.