What would you do? Promotion with probationary period or stay potentially be safe?

Hey all,

Was hoping to get some people’s opinions. I’m a 23M with 1.5 years of federal service. I got the government job through scholarship as I worked extremely hard in college and still do. I had a 1 year probation period which I completed in August. I have been applying to higher paying federal jobs since August. And ended up getting one with a different DoD organization. I accepted a few weeks ago before the climate started to change drastically. My first day is Monday and I will be starting a probation period of 1 year. My future supervisor keeps assuring me everything will be okay but I struggle to believe that.

My last day at my current position is Friday and I just got a new apartment. A part of me is like do I back out of the job offer and beg to stay at my current position where I wouldn’t be on probation but making significantly less money. Or do I charge head first and see where it takes me. Any thoughts? Does anyone have any information about what may happen to DoD employees?

(I started applying for private sector work, have an emergency fund, but I would hate to have to break my lease which I just got sorted out a week ago!)