A plan to carry out mass firings of civilian probationary employees at the Department of Defense has been temporarily paused until a more-thorough review of the impacts can be done, sources familiar with the matter told CNN.

The pause comes after Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth directed the military services to identify $50 billion in programs that could be cut next year.

Pentagon lawyers reportedly started reviewing the legality of the planned firings after CNN reported they could conflict with Title 10 section 129a of the U.S. Code.

According to the law, the secretary of defense “may not reduce the civilian workforce programmed full-time equivalent levels unless the secretary conducts an appropriate analysis” to ensure the impact on mission effectiveness is considered.

An analysis had not been carried out before military leaders were ordered to list the employees who would be fired, a senior defense official said.

Senior Pentagon official Robert G. Salesses said in a statement about the layoffs that “the time for preparation is over” and “excess bureaucracy” and programs targeting climate change or “other woke programs” such as diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives would be targeted.

Hegseth released a video Thursday detailing priorities at the Department of Defense amid scrutiny over the Department of Government Efficiency’s efforts to eliminate fraud, waste, and redundancies within the DOD.

He described DOGE as wanting to focus resources on military priorities rather than non-essential programs that have been deemed contrary to national defense goals.

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