Blog Verité

During his first cabinet meeting on Wednesday, President Donald Trump asked Elon Musk to give an update on his work to slash the federal workforce and government spending. Wearing a black “Make America Great Again” baseball hat and a T-shirt printed with the words “TECH SUPPORT,” an animated Musk told the cabinet officials about plans to cut $1 trillion from their budgets and further cull their staff. He acknowledged that the teams he’s sent into agencies had sometimes gone too far, recalling how funding to prevent deadly Ebola outbreaks was “accidentally” cut off. “We won’t be perfect, but when we make a mistake, we’ll fix it very quickly,” he said.

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But those mistakes are already proving costly—and embarrassing—as the administration’s cuts hit critical functions of government like nuclear security, pandemic prevention, and veteran assistance, prompting officials to backtrack. Less than six weeks into Trump’s presidency, the administration has already reversed itself more than a dozen times in high-profile decisions.

The many reversals, to be clear, do little to undercut the extent to which the administration is making good on Trump’s goal of remaking much of the federal government. Many of the changes already carried out by Trump are irreversible. Thousands of federal workers at the Internal Revenue Service and the Defense, Energy and Veterans Affairs Departments have been fired. Tens of thousands of others have resigned under pressure from Musk. USAID, which administers billions in food and medical assistance around the world, has been hollowed out. Even Musk’s claim that the Ebola prevention funding had been fully restored has been called into question by current and former USAID officials.

Yet the sheer number of the reversals reflect an administration moving much faster than usual. During his first term in office, many of Trump’s initial moves were rolled out haphazardly and delayed in court, like his order to ban visas from several Muslim-majority countries and build large sections of a border wall. This time, Trump’s team is better prepared, says Timothy Naftali, an expert on the presidency at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. Several people who served in Trump’s first term have returned, determined to follow through on aggressive actions they couldn’t execute the first time around. “As opposed to the first term when these mistakes led to a little bit of a paralysis, here it’s just, you know, nip and tuck, here and there,” Naftali says. “Trump has reversed some of the tactics but the policies are the same.”

Few expect the administration to slow down any time soon. Trump has pushed out senior career leaders at key agencies and undertaken other moves to strip away checks on his power, potentially setting the stage for him to carry out even more sweeping changes in the months to come.

While Trump officials have insisted that their actions thus far reflect a commitment to efficiency and a readiness to course-correct, critics argue that the frequency of these backpedals is undermining the public’s trust in the administration’s leadership.

Democrats have seized on the confusion as a sign of dysfunction within the Republican Party, with some speculating that it could help fuel a strong midterm challenge. “The party that becomes the party of chaos, that’ll be the party that’s going to lose,” Sen. John Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat, tells TIME.

Here are the ways the Trump Administration has reversed course so far.

Rescinded order freezing federal grants

A week into Trump’s second term, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a memo freezing all federal loans and grants. Two days later, the Trump Administration rescinded the order. The initial memo had caused alarm across states, schools, and community organizations that depend on federal funding, leading to widespread legal challenges and confusion about how the policy would affect crucial services, such as food assistance programs and healthcare initiatives. A federal judge temporarily blocked part of the aid freeze, but the administration has appealed that decision to the Supreme Court.

The freeze was initially justified as part of a broader review to ensure that federal spending aligned with Trump’s executive orders, such as ending diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. However, after the sudden backlash, the administration reversed course. That said, many programs have reportedly not seen a resumption of the funds, including for medical research, infrastructure projects, and food aid.

Reversed plan to shut down free COVID test program

The Trump Administration in mid-February backtracked on its plan to end the government’s free COVID-19 test distribution program just minutes before its website, COVIDtests.gov, was set to shut down. The program, which ships free tests directly to US households, was seen as a vital resource during the pandemic’s peak. With the virus’ spread slowing, Trump officials at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) began exploring the costs of destroying or disposing of more than 160 million unused tests. 

Public health experts and lawmakers were skeptical of the move, warning that destroying resources could be disastrous should the virus resurge. HHS officials decided that unused tests “will remain in inventory until they meet their expiration date,” according to The Washington Post. Free COVID tests are still available upon request at COVIDtests.gov.

Multiple agencies reinstated some workers after firing them

In mid-February, the Trump Administration fired thousands of federal workers in a round of layoffs that targeted employees on probation. Federal workers are placed on probationary status when they are recently hired or have moved from one agency to another. 

Many of the workers laid off were involved in critical work like monitoring nuclear safety, helping with pandemic response, overseeing the food supply and running hotlines for veterans in crisis. After a forceful backlash, Trump officials rehired dozens of workers fired from the National Nuclear Security Administration. Some fired bird flu experts cut from the U.S. Department of Agriculture were also rehired, as were some food supply regulators at the Food and Drug Administration, which oversees food safety around the country. 

When the the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) laid off over 1,000 probationary employees, it included workers who staffed the Veterans Crisis Line, which provides support and services to suicidal veterans. A week later, the VA reinstated at least two of those employees, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, a military veteran and Illinois Democrat who intervened on their behalf, tells TIME. 

A union representing federal employees, the American Federation of Government Employees, filed a lawsuit on Feb. 19 accusing the Trump Administration of firing employees under false pretenses. The head of the Office of Special Counsel—a federal watchdog Trump has tried to fire—has filed complaints with the Merit Systems Protection Board, saying the firings were unjustified and broke the law under 5 U.S.C. § 2302(b)(12) which governs terminations and reductions in force. Probationary employees, the Office of Special Counsel wrote, can only be terminated if their performance or conduct makes them unfit for federal employment.

DOGE accidentally canceled Ebola prevention program at USAID

At Trump’s first cabinet meeting, Musk acknowledged that DOGE “accidentally canceled” efforts by USAID to prevent the spread of Ebola while an outbreak raged in Uganda—a move that he says was quickly restored. “I think we all want Ebola prevention,” he said. “There was no interruption.”

While few details were given about the restored cuts, former USAID officials say that Ebola prevention efforts have stalled since Musk and his DOGE allies moved to gut the global-assistance agency and freeze its outgoing payments. “I’ve actually led Ebola outbreak response at @USAID. This is bunk from Elon,” Jeremy Konyndyk, director of USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance under President Obama, wrote on X. “They have laid off most of the experts, they’re bankrupting most of the partner orgs, have withdrawn from WHO, and muzzled CDC.”

The CDC has reported nine confirmed cases of Sudan virus—one of six identified strains of Ebola—in Uganda, including one death, since an outbreak was declared there on Jan. 30.

Rehired 9/11 health program workers

After ordering funding and staff cuts at a healthcare program for people sickened by toxic smoke and debris from the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack, the Trump Administration reversed course. The about-face followed criticism from the families of first responders to the attacks who were frustrated that research into the long-term effects of toxins from the debris would be halted. It also sparked backlash from congressional New York Republicans, who wrote a letter to Trump urging him to reverse the cuts.

“This staff reduction will only make it more difficult for the program to supervise its contracts and to care for its members who are comprised of the brave men and women who ran towards danger and helped in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks,” they said in the letter to Trump.

As a result of the backlash, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which oversees the World Trade Center Health Program, said that it had reinstated two research grants and rehired employees who were laid off. Around 20% of the program’s staff had been let go as part of the initial move. Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the minority leader, said that the program “should have never been on the chopping block in the first place.”

Announced new tariffs and then delayed them

The Trump Administration has given mixed and at times contradictory information on its timeline for imposing tariffs on trading partners. At his Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Trump suggested that he would be delaying 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico to April 2, just two days after he said they would go into effect on March 4—and well after the initial date of Feb. 1. But on Thursday, Trump walked back those comments and announced in a social media post that the tariffs would, in fact, start on March 4. In addition to the tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico, Trump said that China will also face an additional 10% tariff on March 4, on top of the 10% he imposed in February.

U.S. Postal Service made a U-turn on packages from China

Within 24 hours in early February, the U.S. Postal Service abruptly stopped and then restarted accepting packages from China. The whiplash sent shockwaves through the complex international parcel system and suppliers that rely on swift and reliable deliveries between China and the U.S. American customers of Chinese discount retailers like Temu and Shein faced the possibility their shipments of online purchases would be blocked.

The temporary suspension began with a notice posted on the U.S. Postal Service website stating that the U.S. would “temporarily suspend” accepting international packages from China and Hong Kong starting Feb. 4. Trump Administration officials were apparently concerned that small package deliveries would be a possible route for Chinese companies to skirt Trump’s 10% tariff on imports into the U.S. 

The U.S. Postal Service reversed course within a day, A new advisory on usps.com, said that effective Feb. 5, the U.S. would accept “all international inbound mail and packages” from China and Hong Kong. The message said that USPS and U.S. Customs and Border Protection are working to develop a way to collect Trump’s tariffs on goods from China “to ensure the least disruption to package delivery.”

Trump said Ukraine started the war against Russia, then reversed course

Trump’s comment on Feb. 18 that Ukraine “should have never started” the war against Russia three years ago sparked a wave of criticism from the international community. A few days later, he reversed course and said that Russia did, in fact, invade Ukraine. “Russia attacked, but they shouldn’t have let him attack,” Trump told Fox News Radio when asked to clarify his statement. The war began on Feb. 24, 2022 when Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his army to enter Ukraine from the north, east, and south, and launched missile strikes all over the country, including Kyiv.

Trump, who had promised on the campaign trail that he would end the war on his first day in office, said that he’s “trying to get the money back” that the previous administration had given to Ukraine as aid. But Trump’s relationship with Ukraine has soured in recent weeks. He called Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky “a dictator” and claimed his support among voters was at rock bottom. Asked on Feb. 27 if Trump still thinks Zelensky is a dictator, Trump replied: “Did I say that? I can’t believe I said that. Next question.”

Administration keeps contradicting itself on Musk’s latest email

An email from the Trump Administration to federal employees with the subject line “What did you do last week?” has led to some confusion. The message instructed workers to reply with five examples of what they did over the past seven days, without revealing any classified information. In a post on X, the social media platform he owns, Musk said that failure by federal workers to respond to the email would be taken as a resignation. But several agencies told workers to ignore the request, breaking with Musk’s directive. At a White House briefing on Tuesday, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said agency leaders had the final say on how their employees should view Musk’s ultimatum. The next day, at his Cabinet meeting with Musk, Trump undercut Leavitt and the members of his Cabinet, saying federal workers who hadn’t responded to the email “are on the bubble as they say, maybe they’re gonna be gone.”

One federal worker at the Veterans Health Administration, who spoke with TIME on the condition of anonymity, says that he and other government employees have been “stressed out” over the administration’s “inconsistency.” He described Musk’s recent directive as the latest effort by the administration “to harass the federal workforce and make their lives hell in hopes they quit.” 

Trump has also contradicted his own White House on Musk’s role in the administration, claiming that Musk is in charge of DOGE. The White House said in an earlier court filing, however, that Musk’s role was that of a White House employee and senior adviser to the President, and that he had no authority over DOGE and was not an employee of the program.