Layoffs Begin

The White House initiated substantial layoffs of federal employees on Friday as part of the ongoing government shutdown.

Context

Government shutdowns typically involve temporarily furloughing workers without pay until Congress reaches a funding agreement. In past shutdowns, furloughed workers have been brought back once the government reopened. The current shutdown began on October 1 after Congress failed to pass a spending bill, with Democrats and Republicans at an impasse over funding priorities. Approximately 750,000 federal workers have been furloughed during this shutdown. Senators are expected to vote Tuesday for the eighth time on the House-passed funding.

Layoffs Begin

On Friday afternoon, White House budget director Russell Vought announced on social media that “the RIFs have begun,” referring to reductions-in-force. White House officials confirmed the layoffs were “substantial” and over 4,000 workers have been laid off since Friday. 

To date, the Treasury Department has been most affected by the layoffs, shedding over 1,400 employees, followed by the Department of Health and Human Services, which is cutting over 1,100 positions. The Department of Education also faced significant cuts, while the Department of Homeland Security, Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development saw smaller cuts.

Legal Questions

Federal employment lawyers and senior government officials have raised questions about whether conducting layoffs during a shutdown violates federal law. The Antideficiency Act prohibits the government from spending money not appropriated by Congress, and the layoff process includes severance payments that would create new financial obligations during a funding lapse. Federal unions filed a lawsuit against the administration before the layoffs began, arguing the dismissals lack legal authority under shutdown conditions.

Political Response

President Trump and administration officials had previously indicated they might use the shutdown to reduce the size of the federal government.

Republican leaders expressed varying views on the workforce reductions, with some supporting smaller government while others emphasized protecting federal employees. Democrats and unions opposed using federal workers in budget negotiations, with the AFL-CIO – The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations – announcing it would challenge the layoffs in court.