After taking the recent buyout offer, some employees were fired, a source said.
President Donald Trump's administration, including Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, is continuing its sweeping effort to cut much of the federal government -- but it's being met with legal challenges.
Trump is also making his second administration's first forays on the diplomatic front with calls to Russia's Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy on ending the 3-year-old war that began in February 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine.
And a day after Hamas released more hostages taken when it attacked Israel in October 2023, Secretary of State Marco Rubio agreed with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the militant organization needs to be "eliminated."
As Attorney General Pam Bondi delivered heated remarks announcing a new lawsuit against New York and its top officials, claiming they were resisting federal efforts to enforce the nation's immigration laws, she said, "This is a new DOJ."
"We sued Illinois," she added. "New York did not listen. Now you're next."
-ABC News' Pierre Thomas and Alexander Mallin
The Justice Department is taking legal action against the state of New York and Gov. Kathy Hochul, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Wednesday, over its alleged resistance to supporting the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration.
It is not clear what action the department is specifically taking. Bondi said in her remarks that the DOJ is "filing charges" against the state and its top officials, though she clarified the department is filing suit over the state's "green-light laws."
-ABC News' Alexander Mallin
When asked if he wants the Department of Education closed, Trump responded emphatically, "oh, I’d like it to be closed immediately."
"Look, the Department of Education's a big con job," he added, arguing that he wants to break up the department in sections among the states and criticizing employees for working remotely or working multiple jobs.
In the Oval Office, Trump was asked if he opposes NATO membership for Ukraine, to which he replied that he doesn't think it is "practical to have it."
"I know that a new secretary of defense who's excellent, Pete, made a statement today saying that he thinks it's unlikely or impractical. I think probably that's true," Trump continued.
"They've been saying that for a long time that Ukraine cannot go into NATO, and I'm OK with that," he said, expressing his desire for the war to end "whether they are or they're not" part of NATO.
