Fired federal employees from one government department were provided a helpline to appeal their terminations, only for it to connect to an apartment building, according to The Washington Post.
The Small Business Administration provided the number for a paralegal after a round of probationary employee terminations instigated by President Donald Trump. But, according to the Post, the number turned out to be an automated line for an apartment building.
“Thank you for calling Westbrooke Place, a team that is dedicated to taking care of the way you live while offering you an extraordinary living experience,” a voice said after one of the paper’s reporters called the number. “We look forward to sharing why Westbrooke Place is the perfect place to call home.”
Westbrooke Place may refer to a luxury apartment building in the West End of D.C., where monthly rent can reach almost $7,000.
It is not the first faux pas to befall the agency this week, after management emailed probationary employees on Monday telling them that a previous termination notice sent Friday was done so in error. They were then re-fired the next day, according to Bloomberg.
“During this probationary or trial period, it has been determined that your continued employment does not promote the efficiency of the service because you have failed to demonstrate fitness for continued federal employment,” the note reportedly said.
The terminations come as part of a wider effort by Trump and DOGE chief Elon Musk to shrink the government workforce.
The Trump administration has been hit with a flurry of lawsuits challenging its efforts to overhaul the government. But a federal judge reinstated the administration’s controversial buyout plan for federal workers on Wednesday.
U.S. District Judge George O’Toole of Massachusetts dissolved the temporary restraining order that blocked an Office of Personnel Management memo offering employees eight months’ pay to quit their jobs.
