WASHINGTON – On Friday, President Donald Trump took a decisive step by initiating layoffs of federal workers during the ongoing government shutdown, marking a significant shift from how past shutdowns were handled.
Russell Vought, who heads the Office of Management and Budget, announced on X, “The RIFs have begun,” referring to reductions in force that apply to federal departments and agencies.
Though the Office of Management and Budget declined to share specifics about how many workers are affected or which agencies are involved, they described the layoffs as “substantial.”
Start your day right. Get top news delivered straight to your inbox every morning.
According to USA TODAY, the layoffs impact several departments, such as Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, Education, and Treasury.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security noted that cuts will specifically affect the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which is essential in safeguarding the country’s IT systems from cyber threats. Meanwhile, Andrew Nixon from HHS confirmed that employees from various divisions had received notices regarding their layoffs.
Additionally, a Treasury official acknowledged that RIF notices have been distributed within their department but didn’t specify any numbers.
Officials from the White House argue that these layoffs are necessary to allocate funding for essential government services. On the flip side, legal experts and unions for government employees have expressed strong opposition, claiming that Trump is leveraging the shutdown to push his political motives and retaliate against Democrats.
Two unions—the American Federation of Government Employees and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees—filed a lawsuit on September 30 in response to Trump’s threats of mass layoffs, contending that terminating employees during this shutdown is an abuse of power, hindering federal workers’ right to back pay, and breaching statutory obligations of agencies.
Shortly after Vought’s announcement, union attorneys sought a federal court injunction to pause the layoffs.
“It’s disgraceful that the Trump administration is using the shutdown as a cover to unlawfully terminate thousands of employees who provide vital services,” said AFGE National President Everett Kelley in a statement.
Unprecedented Layoff Actions
Traditionally, during government shutdowns, non-essential federal employees are placed on furloughs, which temporarily halts their compensation without leading to mass layoffs. That said, the current shutdown already has around 750,000 federal workers on furlough.
This year, the Trump administration has previously laid off tens of thousands as a component of its broader ambition to cut down the federal workforce drastically.
For several days, Trump cautioned Democrats about possible mass layoffs and threatened to cease government programs if the shutdown, which started on October 1, lingers. After hinting at immediate layoffs, the White House delayed action for over a week.
Meanwhile, Senate Democrats have insisted that reforms, such as reversing Medicaid cuts and prolonging deadlines for Affordable Health Care Act subsidies, should be part of any funding legislation to restore government operations. Republicans, however, maintain that no healthcare policy revisions will be addressed until the shutdown is resolved.
The ongoing standoff has resulted in repeated Senate votes failing to pass bills aimed at reopening the government.
Alongside mass layoffs, Trump has threatened to withhold back pay for federal workers and cut funding for what he terms “Democrat programs” if no compromise is reached with Republican lawmakers.
“We’ll be reducing funding for certain popular Democrat programs, which aren’t well-received among Republicans,” Trump said on October 9. “They wanted to push this, and now they’re going to face the consequences.”
Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
This article originally appeared in USA TODAY: Trump Kicks Off Layoffs for Federal Workers During Government Shutdown
