Federal workers all over the country responded with anger and confusion Friday toward President Donald Trump and his administration’s aggressive effort to shrink the size of the federal workforce by ordering agencies to lay off probationary employees who have yet to qualify for civil service protections.

The federal work force is facing a sharp reduction after President Trump’s Office of Personnel Management ordered agencies to terminate most of an estimated 200,000 workers still in their probationary period. The cuts primarily target employees who have been in their roles for less than two years and do not enjoy as much job protection.