Thousands of probationary federal workers who were reinstated and immediately placed on administrative leave due to recent court orders are stuck in limbo, uncertain if they will ever return to their duties as agencies prepare for another round of cuts ordered by President Donald Trump.

President Donald Trump's administration in court filings has for the first time acknowledged it fired nearly 25,000 recently hired workers, and said federal agencies were working to bring all of them back after a judge ruled their terminations were likely illegal.

The Trump administration appears to be preparing to comply with multiple court orders to quickly place tens of thousands of federal workers fired during their probationary periods, according to officials at three agencies briefed on the plans.

A day after the Department of Education announced deep cuts expected to gut the agency, President Trump was dismissive of the fired workers, initially saying he felt “very badly” before suggesting many were of little use.

A federal judge called the administration’s justification for the firings of workers with probationary status a “sham.” Another ruling barred the administration from carrying out future mass reductions.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he feels "very badly" for the thousands of civil servants who have lost their jobs in recent weeks but that "many of them don't work at all."

Two federal judges have handed down orders requiring President Donald Trump’s administration to rehire thousands, if not tens of thousands, of probationary workers let go in mass firings across multiple agencies.