Federal Worker Layoffs Commence Amid Ongoing Government Shutdown
By Ahmed Aboulenein and Andy Sullivan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – In a significant escalation during the ongoing government shutdown, President Donald Trump’s administration has initiated layoffs for federal employees as of Friday. A representative from the White House budget office has characterized these reductions as “substantial.”
The U.S. health agency has confirmed the issuance of layoff notifications to some of its personnel.
“The RIFs have commenced,” remarked White House budget director Russell Vought on social media, alluding to the so-called reductions in force without providing further specifics.
Throughout the shutdown, which has now reached its tenth day, Trump has made repeated threats to dismiss federal workers and indicated that the administration’s focus would be on “Democrat agencies.”
Additionally, he has imposed a freeze on more than $28 billion in infrastructure funds allocated for New York, California, and Illinois—states with notable Democratic constituencies and vocal critics of his administration.
Despite having majorities in both chambers of Congress, Trump’s Republicans require at least seven Democratic votes to advance a stopgap funding measure in the Senate.
Democrats are currently insisting on an extension of subsidies for Americans enrolled in government-subsidized health insurance programs.
According to communications director Andrew Nixon, employees from various divisions within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have received notifications regarding layoffs.
This expansive agency, comprising 78,000 personnel, oversees significant health insurance schemes, monitors disease outbreaks, funds medical research, and executes a plethora of health-related responsibilities.
Approximately 41% of the agency’s workforce has been instructed not to report for duty during the shutdown, with some employees ordered to continue their work without compensation.
Nixon stated that the layoffs were specifically aimed at individuals who were already furloughed, although additional information was not divulged.
“HHS remains committed to eliminating superfluous and overlapping entities, particularly those that conflict with the Trump administration’s Make America Healthy Again agenda,” he elaborated.
Other government divisions have yet to provide comments in response to inquiries about the layoffs.
Hundreds of thousands of federal employees have been barred from reporting for work during the shutdown.
This year’s downsizing initiative, driven by Trump, is projected to affect approximately 300,000 federal civilian workers.
Labor unions that represent federal employees have filed lawsuits to halt these actions, arguing that any layoffs during a government shutdown are unlawful.
A federal judge is set to hear the case on October 16.
Under current legal stipulations, the government must provide workers with a 60-day notice prior to any layoffs, although this period can be abbreviated to 30 days.
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