PRESIDENT Donald Trump and his billionaire adviser Elon Musk’s campaign to radically cut back the US government proceeded apace over the weekend, with more than 9,500 workers dismissed from departments.

The majority of those sacked were probationary employees in their first year, who have fewer employment protections.

Mr Trump has defended the cuts, arguing that the federal government is overwhelmed by waste and fraud.

Congressional Democrats say Mr Trump is overstepping legislative authority on federal spending, while Republicans have largely backed the cuts.

The pair have also pushed to roll back civil service protections, freeze most foreign aid, and shutter agencies such as the US Agency for International Development and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Nearly half of the probationary employees at the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health are being forced out, sources told Reuters.

A month after devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, federal hiring for seasonal firefighters has been frozen and programmes to remove fire hazards, such as deadwood, have been halted.

Steve Lenkart, executive director of the National Federation of Federal Employees union, which represents more than 100,000 workers, said he expects the administration to focus on industry and finance agencies.

Mr Musk’s SpaceX businesses have major contracts with the US federal government.

“That’s really what this whole thing is really all about,” Mr Lenkart said.

“It’s getting government out of the way of industry and incredibly rich people, which is why Elon Musk is so excited.”

Concerns have also been raised over the Trump administration’s assertion of power over the Justice Department, having recently taken over its building, demanded names of FBI agents who investigated the Capitol riot and sued a state attorney general, who won a massive fraud verdict against Mr Trump.