Hundreds of workers sacked in Elon Musk's Doge raid have received offers to return to their positions in a major U-turn.
An internal memorandum revealed that former employees must decide whether to accept reinstatement by the end of the week.
Those agreeing to return will resume duties on October 6, following what effectively constitutes a paid absence spanning seven months.
The Department of Government Efficiency, led by Mr Musk, had targeted the GSA as part of efforts to eliminate federal Government waste and inefficiency.
The agency employed approximately 12,000 people when the Trump administration began.
Beginning in March, numerous GSA staff departed through programmes promoting voluntary resignation or early retirement.
A select group of Mr Musk's close associates remained at GSA headquarters, occasionally sleeping on makeshift beds on the sixth floor, whilst developing strategies to terminate almost half of the agency's 7,500 property leases.
The efficiency department aimed to dispose of hundreds of Government-owned properties to achieve billions in cost reductions, releasing a roster of buildings marked for disposal.
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Hundreds of workers sacked in Elon Musk's Doge raid have received offers to return to their positions
| GETTYThe agency dispatched over 800 termination letters to property owners, frequently without notifying the occupying departments.
Internal figures show headquarters personnel decreased by 79 per cent, property managers fell by 65 per cent, and facilities staff dropped by 35 per cent.
Opposition to the property portfolio reduction emerged rapidly, resulting in both programmes being curtailed.
Over 480 property agreements initially marked for cancellation have subsequently been retained.
The Department of Government Efficiency, which was led by Mr Musk, had targeted the GSA
| REUTERSThese contracts covered facilities nationwide, housing departments including the Internal Revenue Service, Social Security Administration and Food and Drug Administration.
Chad Becker, previously a GSA property executive, said: "Ultimately, the outcome was the agency was left broken and understaffed. They didn't have the people they needed to carry out basic functions."
Mr Becker, now representing property owners at Arco Real Estate Solutions, described the GSA as operating in "triage mode" for several months.
The abrupt about-face in staffing policy demonstrates how the efficiency initiative proceeded excessively quickly, with Doge and Mr Musk going too far, too fast, according to Becker.
A select group of Musk's close associates remained at GSA headquarters
|REUTERS
The efficiency department's "wall of receipts" initially claimed the property terminations would deliver savings approaching $460million, but this figure has since been revised downward to $140million by July's end, Becker noted.
Due to organisational chaos, 131 property agreements lapsed whilst Government departments continued occupying the premises, a federal source revealed anonymously.
This has left departments vulnerable to substantial penalties as landlords cannot secure alternative tenants.
David Marroni from the Government Accountability Office confirmed the congressional oversight body is investigating the GSA's personnel decisions, property terminations and disposal strategies, with reports anticipated soon.