Sen. Lisa Murkowski sounded the alarm over President Trump’s efforts to downsize the federal workforce, particularly over the disproportionate harm it could cause in her home state of Alaska. 

The White House enacted a purge of probationary federal employees across numerous agencies on Thursday and Friday. Workers with probationary status have typically been hired within the past two years.

Thousands of workers have been axed under the president’s directive. Ms. Murkowski, a Republican often at odds with Mr. Trump, fears that “potentially over 100” workers have been fired in her state. 
 
“Many of these abrupt terminations will do more harm than good, stunting opportunities in Alaska and leaving holes in our communities,” Ms. Murkowski said on X. 

Dozens of employees with the U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service were reportedly laid off under the directive. The senator argued that the firings could hamper Alaska’s role in energy and mineral development, lessen preparation for wildfire management and hurt her state’s tourism economy if “we don’t maintain our world-class national parks and forests.”

Mr. Trump’s move to cleave the federal workforce came after he offered federal employees the opportunity to resign this month. Roughly 75,000 workers, or 3.3% of the government workforce, accepted the buyout offer. 

Ms. Murkowski said she shared Mr. Trump’s goal of reducing the size of the federal government but contended that this approach brought “confusion, anxiety and now trauma to our civil servants — some of whom moved their families and packed up their whole lives to come here.” 

“Indiscriminate workforce cuts aren’t efficient and won’t fix the federal budget, but they will hurt good people who have answered the call to public service to do important work for our nation,” she said.

• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.