“Most of us are watching cautiously and letting the dust settle,” an employee at the U.S. Agency for International Development told the outlet. “We know that there is a range of possible outcomes, and some people are panicking, but most are taking a wait-and-see approach.”

Sources said the White House has discussed testing a message system where President Donald Trump could message the federal government's 2 million civilian employees.

OPM guidance sent to federal agencies included a letter template that called on workers to report any attempts to "disguise" DEI initiatives.

An earlier memo from the Office of Personnel Management had asked agency heads to submit written plans by Jan. 31 for dismissing employees.