The federal government is closed# today in observance of Presidents Day,## but the Trump administration's# effort to permanently scale back## the size and scope of the federal# work force continues in full force.

As Laura Barron-Lopez reports, President Trump's## actions in his first few weeks also fueled# demonstrations on this holiday weekend.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: This Presidents' Day...

PROTESTERS: This is what democracy looks like!

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: ... protests across the# country, pushing back against President Trump's## first month in office and what organizers say# are his antidemocratic and illegal actions.

They call it the No Kings Day protest, even as# the president suggested in social media posts this## weekend that he is above the law, stating: "He# who saves his country does not violate any law."

Democratic Congressman Jamie# Raskin responded on CBS.

REP. JAMIE RASKIN (D-MD):# The dominant objective of## this administration is corruption and lawlessness.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Trump's declaration comes# as his administration faces multiple restraining## orders from judges, who have in some cases# said his actions are likely unconstitutional.

One of those cases could be the first# test for the U.S. Supreme Court after## the president fired the head of a federal# agency that protects whistle-blowers.

A## lower court blocked him.

But the Trump# administration has asked the High Court## to uphold the removal of Hampton Dellinger# as head of the Office of Special Counsel.

As the White House battles in the courts,# billionaire Elon Musk's government takeover## grows.

Musk's team, the so-called# Department of Government Efficiency,## is seeking unlimited access to highly sensitive## Internal Revenue Service systems that hold# taxpayer data for millions of Americans.

And over the holiday weekend, Musk's team# fired tens of thousands of federal workers## across the government.

On Friday, the# Department of Health and Human Services## started terminating probationary employees.# That's expected to total more than 5,000 jobs,## including almost a 10th of the Centers for# Disease Control and Prevention's work force.

Republican Senator Markwayne# Mullin defended the firings on ABC.

SEN. MARKWAYNE MULLIN (R-OK): We# hate that anybody's losing their job,## but at the same time, We know that the debt# that we have in this country is not manageable.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Cutting 10 percent# of the federal work force could save## about $800 billion over 10 years, but that's# just a fraction of the $70 trillion that will## be spent by the government if current# levels hold.

Terminations also swept## across the Department of Veterans Affairs# and the Food and Drug Administration.

And in a purge of the Department of# Energy that totaled nearly 2,000,## hundreds of employees at the National# Nuclear Security Administration were## also fired.

When the Trump administration# realized that they had fired engineers## who oversee the country's nuclear weapons# stockpile, they scrambled to reverse course.

The firings for almost all of the nuclear# security workers were rescinded.

Of the## more than 300 who were originally fired,# fewer than 50 were dismissed as of today.

GEOFF BENNETT: And, Laura, the firings# seem to be haphazard across these many## government agencies.

Do you have any more clarity,## based on your reporting, as to how# these layoffs have been carried out?

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Yes, there's# been a lot of chaos and confusion.

One example, RFK Jr., the new secretary of HHS,## verbally rescinded the firings of more than# 900 workers with the Indian Health Service.## And that's very similar to the Nuclear# Security Administration, as we mentioned.

And I spoke to one of those fired workers# who was in the field for the Nuclear Security## Administration.

They ended up getting their job# back, but this worker said that they felt as## though the firings were heartless and that they# became a civil servant because they wanted to## serve the country in this way, acknowledging that# there's usually more money in the private sector.

Across agencies, we should note, Geoff,# that a lot of these workers got the exact## same kind of termination letter, saying# that their performance was not adequate,## which those workers, a lot of the workers# that I spoke to said they felt wasn't fair## because they had recent performance reviews# that said that they were doing a good job.

GEOFF BENNETT: You mentioned that you have# been speaking to these fired federal workers.## I know you spoke with an employee of the# Department of Veterans Affairs who was let go.

And I remember covering back in 2014 the# wait-time scandal, where the VA had covered## up how long veterans were waiting for care and# that had a large part to do with staffing issues.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Right.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Exactly, Geoff.

I spoke to Andrew Lenn.. and he started his job just in December at# the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Ann## Arbor, Michigan.

And Andrew said that# getting that job was like coming home.

ANDREW LENNOX, Former Veterans Affairs# Employee: I shared an elevator with an## Army vet that saw my Marine key chain and, like,# slapped my back,.. welcome, welcome home.

And it just -- it# felt right and it felt good that I was## going to contribute back to, like,# my family, my tribe, my people.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Andrew worked on exactly# those things you were talking about, Geoff,## behind the scenes on payroll, billing,# managing schedules for doctors and nurses,## making sure that he was cutting out that# red tape so that way there were shorter## wait times for patients, for them to see patients.

And Andrew warned that the firings could have a# big impact on the Veterans Affairs' core mission.

ANDREW LENNOX: It's going to result in worse# care or not the quality care that the veterans## deserve.

It's going to turn into burnout,# fatigue, and just lack and quality care.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Andrew told me that# he doesn't feel that he can afford to join## any potential lawsuits that may come from# this, but he questioned President Trump's## support for veterans because of the number# of veterans like himself who have been fired.

GEOFF BENNETT: The Department of Health# and Human Services, as I understand it,## has also been affected by this.# And you spoke with someone at## the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid# Services?

What did they have to say?

I spoke to Arielle Kaine.

She was laid off# on Saturday over the weekend.

A third of her## team was fired.

She worked with state# Medicaid agencies to improve maternal## health outcomes and lower costs.

And she said# that gutting programs like hers could end up## affecting the lives of everyday Americans,# potentially in a life-threatening way.

ARIELLE KAINE, Former Centers for Medicare# and Medicaid Services Employee: We are not## in this work for a profit.

The .. whether they're senior citizens, whether# they're pregnant women, like my program,## or whether they're low-income# people or people with disabilities.

That's who we're motivated to# serve, particularly in HHS.

I worry,## where do these people go?

If they# have to turn to the private market## or a private health plan to solve all# these problems -- and they're expensive## patients to cover because they have their# high needs -- I worry about the impacts.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Arielle Kaine said that# the pregnant women who rely on Medicaid## that her program helped, part of that was# just helping them with increasing access## to midwives or helping rural hospitals who# maybe need to grow their obstetrician units.

And so it's also worth noting, Geoff, though, that# the U.S., according to a report from Commonwealth## Fund, has a higher maternal death rate than other# Western countries, including France and Canada.

GEOFF BENNETT: All right, so# two final questions here, Laura.

One, do you have a sense, based on# your reporting, of when these layoffs,## these firings will end, and then what# agencies are set to be affected next?

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: So several hundred Federal# Aviation Administration probationary employees## are being laid off, according to the labor# union that represents them.

And this is## less than three weeks after that midair# collision at DCA, which killed 67 people.

I'm also told by my sources that hundreds# of FEMA workers are expected to be laid## off as early as today, and that as# well as Pentagon workers.

We could## see firings happening amongst the civilian# work force at the Pentagon as early as today## and throughout the week.

So this is not# going to end with probationary employees.

Sources across agencies tell me to expect firings# far beyond these employees who maybe only worked## for the federal government for less than a year,# and that the people that Musk's team are going to## target are workers who have anything to do with# diversity programs or climate change programs.

GEOFF BENNETT: Thanks for this# really important reporting,## Laura.

You answered a lot of questions# here for us.

We appreciate it.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Thank you.