White House says some employees were fired by mistake

Over 73,000 federal workers have accepted the Trump administration's buyout offer, an administration official confirmed to ABC News.

The buyouts, which are being offered in the form of a deferred resignation offer, are part of DOGE head Elon Musk's efforts to cut the federal government workforce under President Donald Trump's direction.

The program offers to continue to pay federal employees through Sept. 30, 2025, if they resign.

The White House is reacting to the consumer price index rising 3% from last year as well as food prices increasing -- saying it is "unexpected" and "bad news."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt blamed the Biden administration for not being transparent on the economy and indicated the president has called for lower interest rates. On the other hand, the Federal Reserve has made clear that it is holding interest rates steady to try and tamp down inflation.

"This is an indictment of the Biden administration's mismanagement of the inflation crisis and their lack of transparency in addressing it," Leavitt said during the Wednesday press briefing.

Leavitt said President Donald Trump has made his potion on tackling inflation and interest rates "very clear."

"He wants interest rates to be lower. He wants inflation to be lower. And he believes that the whole government economic approach that this administration is taking will result in lower inflation," Leavitt said.

-ABC News' Kelsey Walsh

During his spray in the Oval Office on Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced he will outline evidence during a press conference on Thursday of "widespread fraud and abuse" that the Department of Government Efficiency is focused on eliminating.

"What we're going to do is tomorrow, I'm having a news conference. I'm going to read to you some of the names that hundreds of millions and even billions of dollars have been given to," Trump said.

Trump applauded Elon Musk for his efforts and thanked the DOGE team. "I just want to thank Elon for going through it. I want to thank all the people that are working with them," he said.

-ABC News' Kelsey Walsh

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday that despite the waivers issued by the State Department to keep some foreign aid operational, there are still numerous clinics that have been forced to close.

"The suspension of funding to PEPFAR, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, caused an immediate stop to HIV treatment, testing and prevention services in the 50 countries," he said.

He noted that despite a waiver for lifesaving services, prevention programs for at-risk groups remain excluded, clinics have closed and health workers have been put on leave.

He urged the U.S. government to reconsider its funding approach, at least until alternative solutions can be found to maintain essential health services.

-ABC News' Will Gretsky