The White House has initiated sweeping layoffs across multiple federal departments, following on an earlier warning that job cuts would be used as a response to the prolonged US government shutdown.
The shutdown has now entered its third consecutive week, with key services on hold and disrupting the livelihoods of several federal employees. Russell Vought, Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, confirmed the layoffs in a social media post, writing that “RIFs have begun,” referring to the official Reduction-in-Force (RIF) process, which is used to terminate federal employees during funding lapses.
A court document filed on October 10 detailed that hundreds of workers across major federal agencies had received RIF notices. The affected departments include:
- Department of Commerce: 315 employees
- Department of Education: 466 employees
- Department of Energy: 187 employees
- Department of Health and Human Services: Between 1100 and 1200 employees
- Department of Housing and Urban Development: 442 employees
- Department of Homeland Security: 176 employees
- Department of the Treasury: 1446 employees
Union representatives warned that the widespread layoffs could have ‘devastating effects‘ on critical government operations and services relied upon by millions of Americans. Everett Kelley, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) — which represents over 8,00,000 federal and D.C. government workers — strongly criticized the extreme step undertaken by President Donald Trump’s administration.
“It is disgraceful that the Trump administration has used the government shutdown as an excuse to illegally fire thousands of workers who provide critical services to communities across the country,” Kelley said in a statement.
Both the AFGE and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) have filed emergency motions seeking a temporary restraining order to halt the layoffs during the shutdown, arguing that the move violates federal employment protections.
Political Standoff Deepens
The White House officials had previously warned that layoffs were possible if the government remained unfunded. However, until this week, agencies had largely refrained from implementing them. At a recent press conference, Senate Republican leader John Thune defended the administration’s position, suggesting that patience had worn thin. “The White House has now for 10 days laid off doing anything in hopes that enough Senate Democrats would come to their senses and do the right thing and fund the government,” Thune said.
The impasse continues as Congressional Democrats refuse to approve a Republican-backed funding bill that lacks several healthcare-related provisions they are demanding. After seven failed attempts to pass the competing spending measures, Senate Republican leaders adjourned the chamber until next Tuesday, October 14, making a near-term resolution unlikely.
The layoffs coincided with federal employees receiving only partial paychecks, covering the final days of September but excluding early October days — as appropriations lapsed at the start of the month. “Starting next week, American service members, many of whom live paycheck to paycheck, are going to miss a full paycheck,” a union spokesperson said. “It is ethically unacceptable to make federal employees bear the brunt of political gridlock.”
Observers warn that the Trump administration’s layoff strategy reflects a broader goal of shrinking the federal workforce — one that may continue even after the shutdown ends.
Helene Elliott is the senior reporter for News Raise. She covers Science news. She also has a keen interest in photojournalism. Helene holds a nomination for the prestigious Red Smith Award. She is married to author Dennis D’Agostino, a former publicist with the New York Mets.
