Substantial Job Reductions Initiated Amid Government Shutdown
On Friday, the White House disclosed the commencement of significant layoffs within the federal workforce, as President Donald Trump acted upon a prior commitment to diminish government employment in connection with the ongoing shutdown.
“The RIFs have begun,” stated White House budget director Russell Vought on social media.
Pursuant to statements from agency representatives, job reductions are currently underway at the Treasury Department, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as well as the Departments of Education, Commerce, and the cybersecurity division of Homeland Security.
However, the full scope of these layoffs remains unclear. Previously, approximately 300,000 federal civilian employees were slated to vacate their positions this year due to a downsizing initiative launched by the Trump administration earlier.
Vought indicated that the Reductions in Force (RIFs) have taken effect, referring to a systematic decrease in the workforce. A spokesperson from the budget office deemed the layoffs to be “substantial,” yet refrained from providing intricate details.
Throughout the protracted shutdown, now in its tenth day, Trump has consistently hinted at dismissing federal employees, particularly aiming at segments of the government favored by Democrats.
He has also initiated a freeze on no less than $28 billion in infrastructure funding for states with prominent Democratic constituencies, including New York, California, and Illinois.
The Need for Bipartisan Support to Resolve the Shutdown
Despite the Republican majority in both chambers of Congress, a minimum of seven Democratic votes is required to advance a funding bill in the Senate, where Democrats are advocating for an extension of health-insurance subsidies.
Democratic leaders have firmly asserted their resolve against yielding to Trump’s coercive tactics. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer remarked, “Until Republicans get serious, they own this – every job lost, every family affected, every service diminished is a direct result of their choices.”
Labor unions representing federal personnel have initiated legal action aimed at halting the layoffs, positing that such actions are unlawful amid a shutdown.
The administration has countered in a court filing that the unions lack the legal standing to contest federal employment decisions.
A federal judge is expected to deliberate on the matter on October 16. Under legal stipulations, the government is obligated to provide workers with 60 days’ notice prior to any layoffs, although this period may be condensed to 30 days.
Focus on Furloughed Employees
The announcement concerning layoffs coincided with a day when many federal workers received paychecks reflecting reductions, excluding compensation for the days elapsed since the shutdown’s inception.
Hundreds of thousands of federal employees have been instructed not to report for duty, while others continue to work without remuneration.
Notably, the nation’s 2 million active-duty military personnel risk missing their October 15 paycheck entirely if the impasse persists.
Multiple divisions within the Department of Health and Human Services have begun issuing layoff notifications, as confirmed by communications director Andrew Nixon.
The agency, which encompasses 78,000 employees, is responsible for monitoring disease outbreaks, funding medical research, and executing various health-related functions.
Nixon specified that the layoffs target staff who have been furloughed, although further specifics were not disclosed.
Reports indicate that approximately 41% of agency personnel have been furloughed, including three-quarters at the National Institutes of Health and two-thirds at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, per governmental shutdown protocols.
Notably, the layoffs do not extend to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, a key player in administering several public insurance programs, according to an insider.
Job reductions have also been confirmed at the Treasury Department, according to an anonymous spokesperson. Labor union official Thomas Huddleston, representing the American Federation of Government Employees, indicated through court filings that the Treasury is preparing approximately 1,300 layoff notifications.
These reductions could significantly impact the Internal Revenue Service, which has been targeted for extensive job cuts this year; a staggering 46% of its 78,000 employees were furloughed as of Wednesday.
Updates on layoffs have been reported from the Department of Education, which Trump has proposed closing entirely, as well as the Commerce Department, which oversees critical functions like weather forecasting and economic report generation.
Additional media sources have indicated layoffs at the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy, the Department of Interior, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, with representatives from those agencies failing to respond immediately to inquiries.
Furthermore, the Department of Homeland Security has confirmed that layoffs are occurring at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, a body that garnered Trump’s ire post-2020 election when its director stated that there was no evidence of compromised voting systems.
Trump has unfoundedly asserted that he lost the election to Democrat Joe Biden due to electoral fraud.
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin remarked, “This is part of getting CISA back on mission.”
Conversely, the Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration appear unaffected, according to a knowledgeable source.
Source link: Hindustantimes.com.
