blitz

Hundreds of federal employees in the United States who lost their jobs in Elon Musk’s cost-cutting blitz are being asked to return to work.

The General Services Administration (GSA) has given the employees, who managed government workspaces, until the end of the week to accept or decline reinstatement, according to an internal memo obtained by The Associated Press news agency.

Those who accept must report for duty on October 6 after what amounts to a seven-month paid vacation, during which time the GSA in some cases racked up high costs – passed along to taxpayers – to stay in dozens of properties whose leases it had slated for termination or were allowed to expire.

“Ultimately, the outcome was the agency was left broken and understaffed,” said Chad Becker, a former GSA real estate official.

“They didn’t have the people they needed to carry out basic functions.”

Becker, who represents owners with government leases at Arco Real Estate Solutions, said the GSA has been in a “triage mode” for months.

He said the sudden reversal of the downsizing reflects how the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under Musk’s prior leadership had gone too far, too fast.

The GSA was established in the 1940s to centralise the acquisition and management of thousands of federal workplaces.

Its return-to-work request mirrors rehiring efforts at several agencies targeted by DOGE.

Last month, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) said it would allow some employees who took a resignation offer to remain on the job.

The Labor Department has also brought back some employees who took buyouts, while the National Park Service earlier reinstated a number of purged employees.

Critical to the work of such agencies is the GSA, which manages many of the buildings.

Starting in March, thousands of GSA employees left the agency as part of programmes that encouraged them to resign or take early retirement.

Hundreds of others – those subject to the recall notice – were dismissed as part of an aggressive push to reduce the size of the federal workforce. Though those employees did not show up for work, some continue to get paid.

GSA representatives did not respond to detailed questions about the return-to-work notice, which the agency issued on Friday.

They also declined to discuss the agency’s headcount, staffing decisions or the potential cost overruns generated by reversing its plans to terminate leases.

“GSA’s leadership team has reviewed workforce actions and is making adjustments in the best interest of the customer agencies we serve and the American taxpayers,” an agency spokesman said in an email.

Democrats have assailed the indiscriminate approach to slashing costs and jobs by the administration of President Donald Trump.

Representative Greg Stanton of Arizona, the top Democrat on the subcommittee overseeing the GSA, told the AP that there is no evidence that reductions at the agency “delivered any savings”.

“It’s created costly confusion while undermining the very services taxpayers depend on,” he said.

DOGE identified the agency, which had about 12,000 employees at the start of the Trump administration, as a chief target of its campaign to reduce fraud, waste and abuse in the federal government.

A small cohort of Musk’s trusted aides embedded in the GSA’s headquarters, sometimes sleeping on cots on the agency’s sixth floor, and pursued plans to abruptly cancel nearly half of the 7,500 leases in the federal portfolio.

DOGE also wanted the GSA to sell hundreds of federally-owned buildings with the goal of generating billions in savings.

The GSA started by sending more than 800 lease cancellation notices to landlords, in many cases without informing the government tenants. The agency also published a list of hundreds of government buildings that were targeted for sale.

The Government Accountability Office, an independent congressional watchdog, is examining the GSA’s management of its workforce, lease terminations and planned building disposals, and expects to issue findings in the coming months, said David Marroni, a senior GAO official.

MORRISVILLE, Pa. — Trying to quilt together a patchwork of states that would give him the White House, Mitt Romney ricocheted around the country Sunday, arguing that he represented true change and that reelecting the president would mean a continuation of the status quo: chronic unemployment, high energy prices and increased dependence on government.

Romney said Obama had promised much but had fallen “so very short.”

“Talk is cheap, but a record is real and it’s measured in achievements,” the Republican nominee said, bundled against the cold at his rally in a farm field.

INTERACTIVE: Battleground states

“The president thinks big government is the answer,” Romney added. “No, Mr. President, more good jobs, that’s the answer.”

At that, tens of thousands of people who had gathered for the rally began chanting, “Send him home!”

The Romney appearance in the suburb of Philadelphia was his first in Pennsylvania since September, when he visited a military college. His wife, Ann, and his running mate, Rep. Paul D. Ryan, have appeared here more recently, with Ryan visiting on Saturday.

Campaign officials clearly hoped that Romney’s appearance, and Republicans’ recent ad spending, would turn a state that Obama handily won in 2008.

Aside from one poll that shows the race tied, all other recent surveys show Obama comfortably holding onto Pennsylvania. But a win for Romney would offset a loss in Ohio — where Obama has held onto a steady, if extremely narrow, lead in polls — or losses in a collection of less-populated states such as Wisconsin, Nevada and Iowa.

INTERACTIVE: Outside spending shapes 2012 election

Though Romney has largely ignored Pennsylvania in recent months, his spokesman argued that his visit less than 48 hours before election day was perfectly timed because the state did not have early voting.

“It’s a remarkable juxtaposition here that Mitt Romney will be in the suburbs of Philadelphia today and, you know, four years ago, Barack Obama was in Indiana,” senior advisor Ed Gillespie said on ABC’s “This Week”, referring to the Republican-dominated state that Obama ultimately won in 2008. “When you look at where this map has gone, it reflects the change and the direction and the momentum toward Gov. Romney…. The map has expanded.”

Democrats countered that the appearance in Pennsylvania, which has gone Democratic for two decades, was one of desperation as Romney grasped for a path to the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency.

“They understand they are in deep trouble,” Obama senior strategist David Axelrod said on “Fox News Sunday.” “They’re looking for somewhere, desperately looking for somewhere to try to dislodge some electoral votes to win this election, and I can tell you, that’s not going to happen.”

The scene in Pennsylvania reflected the drama at the end of the hard-fought presidential contest. Two cranes hoisted massive American flags; fireworks closed the rally.

“This audience and your voices are being heard all over the nation. You’re being heard in my heart,” Romney said. “People of America understand, we’re taking back the White House because we’re going to win Pennsylvania.”

Romney also made what has become a familiar pitch from both candidates as election day nears.

“Now let’s make sure every single person we know gets out and votes on Tuesday,” he said. “What makes this rally and all your work so inspiring is because you’re here because you care about America. This is a campaign about our country and the future we’re going to leave to our children. We thank you and we ask you to stay at it all the way till victory on Tuesday night.”

Romney also campaigned Sunday in front of large crowds in Iowa and Ohio, where polling shows Obama holds a slim edge. And he held a late-night rally in Virginia, where the race appears to be even.

A Des Moines Register poll released Saturday showed the president ahead by 5 percentage points in Iowa. But Republicans noted that the same poll four years ago overstated Obama’s support in the state, which he won by nearly 10 percentage points.

In addition to six electoral votes, Iowa holds symbolic significance for both candidates: Its first-in-the-nation caucuses launched Obama’s bid in 2008 and proved difficult for Romney in 2008 and this year.

Republican Gov. Terry Branstad said while introducing the GOP nominee in Des Moines that the state that made Obama would take him down.

“Iowans feel betrayed. Almost a sense of — not only disappointed, but almost a sense of betrayal that our principles of sound budgeting and responsible government have been ignored by this administration for four straight years,” Branstad said, adding: “It’s time for a change. It’s time for you to go back to Chicago.”

Romney, speaking at the Hy-Vee Hall, urged his supporters to reach out to disenchanted backers of the president and persuade them that a change in direction was vital for the nation’s future.

“I need your vote; I need your work; I need your help. Walk with me. We’ll walk together. Let’s begin anew. I need Iowa,” he said.

[email protected]

India is signaling it may seek to rebalance its global partnerships after Trump’s salvo of tariffs on Indian goods.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio “Lula” da Silva have spoken by phone, their offices said, discussing a broad range of topics that included tariffs imposed by the United States on goods from both countries.

Lula confirmed a state visit to India in early 2026 during the call on Thursday, which occurred a day after the Brazilian leader told the news agency Reuters that he would initiate a conversation among the BRICS group of countries on tackling US President Donald Trump’s levies, which are the highest on Brazil and India.

The group of major emerging economies also includes China, Russia and South Africa.

“The leaders discussed the international economic scenario and the imposition of unilateral tariffs. Brazil and India are, to date, the two countries most affected,” Lula’s office said in a statement.

Trump announced an additional 25 percent tariff on Indian goods on Wednesday, raising the total duty to 50 percent. The additional tariff, effective August 28, is meant to penalise India for continuing to buy Russian oil, Trump has said.

Trump has also slapped a 50 percent tariff on goods from Brazil, with lower levels for sectors such as aircraft, energy and orange juice, tying the move to what he called a “witch hunt” against former President Jair Bolsonaro, a right-wing ally on trial for an alleged coup plot to overturn his 2022 election loss.

On their call, Lula and Modi reiterated their goal of boosting bilateral trade to more than $20bn annually by 2030, according to the Brazilian president’s office, up from roughly $12bn last year.

Brasilia said they also agreed to expand the reach of the preferential trade agreement between India and the South American trade bloc Mercosur, and discussed the virtual payment platforms of their countries.

Modi’s office, in its statement, did not explicitly mention Trump or US tariffs, but said “the two leaders exchanged views on various regional and global issues of mutual interest.”

India is already signalling it may seek to rebalance its global partnerships after Trump’s salvo of tariffs on Indian goods.

Modi is preparing for his first visit to China in more than seven years, suggesting a potential diplomatic realignment amid growing tensions with Washington. The Indian leader visited Lula in Brasilia last month.

United States President Donald Trump has unveiled steep tariffs on more than a dozen countries as he ratchets up his pressure campaign aimed at winning concessions on trade.

Trump’s latest trade threats on Monday put 14 countries, including key US allies Japan and South Korea, on notice that they will face tariffs of 25 to 40 percent from August 1 unless they take more US exports and boost manufacturing in the US.

In nearly identical letters to the countries’ leaders, Trump said the US had “decided to move forward” with their relationship, but “only with more balanced, and fair, TRADE”.

Trump warned that any retaliatory taxes would be met with even higher tariffs, but left the door open to relief from the measures for countries that ease trade barriers.

“If you wish to open your heretofore closed Trading Markets to the United States, eliminate your tariff, and Non Tariff, Policies and Trade Barriers, we will, perhaps consider an adjustment to this letter,” Trump said in the letters, using capital letters to emphasise particular words.

“These Tariffs may be modified, upward or downward, depending on our relationship with your Country.”

Speaking to reporters later on Monday, Trump said the August 1 deadline was “firm” but not “100 percent firm”.

“If they call up and they say we’d like to do something a different way, we’re going to be open to that,” he said.

Trump’s steepest tariffs would apply to Laos and Myanmar, which are both facing duties of 40 percent. Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Kazakhstan and Tunisia would be subject to the lowest rate of 25 percent.

Cambodia and Thailand are facing a 36 percent tariff rate, Serbia and Bangladesh a 35 percent rate, and South Africa and Bosnia and Herzegovina a 30 percent rate. Indonesia would be subject to a 32 percent rate.

All 14 countries, many of which have highly export-reliant economies, had previously been subject to a baseline tariff of 10 percent.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba called the tariff on his country “truly regrettable”, but said the Japanese side would continue negotiations towards a mutually beneficial agreement.

South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said in a statement that it would step up negotiations ahead of the August 1 deadline to “reach a mutually beneficial negotiation result so as to swiftly address uncertainties stemming from tariffs”.

Malaysia’s Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry said the Southeast Asian country would continue engagement with the US “towards a balanced, mutually beneficial, and comprehensive trade agreement.”

Lawrence Loh, the director of the Centre for Governance and Sustainability at the National University of Singapore Business School, said Asian countries are limited in their ability to present a united front in the face of Trump’s threats due to their varying trade profiles and geopolitical interests.

“It is not possible for these countries, even for a formal pact like ASEAN, to act in a coordinated manner. It’s likely to be to each country on its own,” Loh told Al Jazeera, referring to the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

“That’s the trump card for Trump.”

Loh said countries in the region will feel pressure to make concessions to Trump to avoid damage to their economies.

“On balance for Asian countries, not giving concessions will turn out more harmful than playing along with the US,” he said.

“Especially for the smaller countries with less bargaining power, retaliation is out of the question.”

The US stock market dipped sharply on Trump’s latest tariff threats, with the benchmark S&P 500 falling 0.8 percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite dropping 0.9 percent.

But Asia’s major stock markets shrugged off the uncertainty, with Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index up about 0.8 percent, South Korea’s KOSPI up about 1.4 percent, and Japan’s Nikkei 225 up about 0.2 percent as of 05:00 GMT.

While the Trump administration has ramped up pressure on its trade partners to reach deals to avoid higher tariffs, only three countries so far – China, Vietnam and the United Kingdom – have announced agreements to de-escalate trade tensions.

US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent earlier on Monday teased the announcement of “several” agreements within the next 48 hours.

Bessent did not elaborate on which countries would be involved in the deals or what the agreements might entail.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told a media briefing that Trump would send more letters this week and that the administration was “close” to announcing deals with other countries.

Calvin Cheng, the director of the economics and trade programme at the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, said that while US partners will be eager to negotiate relief from the tariffs, many governments may be resigned to higher taxes on their exports going forward.

“In my view, many will likely be under greater pressure to deploy every available institutional and political lever to address legitimate US trade concerns, particularly around tightening rules of origin and legitimate IP [intellectual property] concerns,” Cheng told Al Jazeera.

“However, there could also be a cognisance that current tariff lines are more durable than expected, so measures could shift towards targeted accommodation, while preparing domestic exporters and industries for a future of trade where a significant proportion of this tariff barrier is likely to remain.”

“My personal view is that the bulk of the current tariff rate is stickier than perhaps initially assumed,” Cheng added.

“Future concessions could be within single-digit percentage points off the average rate.”

Eduardo Araral, an associate professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore, expressed a similar view.

“Unless Tokyo, Seoul and key ASEAN capitals can bundle tariff relief with credible paths on autos, agriculture, digital trade and – in some cases – security alignment before 1 August, the higher rates will likely stick, adding another layer of uncertainty to an already litigated and politically fraught tariff regime,” Araral told Al Jazeera.