🔗 Share this article

The White House disclosed the start of federal worker layoffs on Friday, following through on prior threats in response to the continuing federal funding lapse, which is now poised to stretch into its third consecutive week.

Official Announcement and Early Information

The director of the White House budget office wrote on social media that “RIFs have begun,” referring to the official procedure for terminating staff.

While Vought provided no details on which agencies were affected, a treasury spokesperson stated that notices had been distributed within that department. Furthermore, a Department of Homeland Security representative noted that staff reductions would take place at the CISA. Moreover, a union for federal workers confirmed that employees at the Education Department would be affected by the reduction in force.

Union Response and Court Actions

Union leaders warned that the terminations would have “devastating effects” on public services relied upon by millions of Americans and vowed to challenge the actions in the legal system.

“It is disgraceful that the administration has exploited the government shutdown as an pretext to illegally fire thousands of workers who deliver critical services to the public nationwide,” said a national union president, representing the American Federation of Government Employees.

The AFL-CIO responded to the news, saying, “Labor organizations will see you in court.”

Political Standoff and Budget Dispute

Lawmakers from the Democratic party have declined to support a GOP-supported legislation to reopen the government unless it contains provisions related to health policy. Following multiple unsuccessful votes, the Senate’s Republican leaders have put the chamber in recess until next Tuesday, indicating the deadlock is unlikely to be resolved soon.

During a press conference, the Republican House speaker, the speaker, blasted opposition lawmakers for not supporting the Republican bill, which was approved in the lower chamber on a near party-line vote.

“This is the last paycheck that 700,000 federal workers will see until opposition leaders decide to do their job and end the shutdown,” the speaker stated. “Starting next week, American service members, who often live paycheck to paycheck, are going to miss a full paycheck.”

Judicial and Practical Limits

Last week, unions sought a court injunction to prevent the administration from implementing any reductions in force during the funding gap. Moreover, a court official ordered the administration to disclose details on layoff plans, affected agencies, and whether any federal employees had been brought back to execute layoffs.

An analysis contended that a funding lapse limits the ability of the administration to conduct terminations, referencing official advice that acknowledged any permanent layoffs need to have been initiated before the shutdown began.

Impact on Workers

These terminations occurred on the very day that federal workers got only a incomplete payment for the end of September but not the start of the current month, since funding expired at the beginning of the period.

Max Stier, the head of the advocacy group, condemned the political stalemate’s impact on government workers.

“It is wrong to make government staff suffer because our leaders in the legislature and the administration have not succeeded to keep our government running,” Stier said. “Our flight regulators, veterans’ healthcare providers, smoke jumpers and safety officials are not at fault for this government shutdown.”

The irony is that lawmakers and senior White House leaders are continuing to be paid during the shutdown.