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Administration officials confirmed the start of government employee layoffs on the end of the week, following through on prior threats in response to the continuing federal funding lapse, which is now poised to stretch into its third consecutive week.

Formal Statement and Initial Details

The director of the White House budget office posted on a public platform that “RIFs have begun,” indicating the official process for terminating staff.

Although Vought provided no details on which departments were affected, a representative from the Treasury Department confirmed that notices had been issued within that agency. Furthermore, a DHS representative indicated that layoffs would also occur at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Moreover, a union representing federal workers confirmed that employees at the Education Department would be affected by the staff cuts.

Union Response and Court Actions

Union leaders warned that the layoffs would have “devastating effects” on services used by the public and pledged to contest the moves in the legal system.

“It is disgraceful that the administration has exploited the government shutdown as an excuse to wrongfully terminate thousands of workers who provide critical services to the public nationwide,” said a national union president, who leads the American Federation of Government Employees.

The largest labor federation in the US responded to the news, declaring, “America’s unions will see you in court.”

Legislative Impasse and Budget Dispute

Congressional Democrats have refused to vote for a GOP-supported bill to restore funding unless it contains provisions related to health policy. Following multiple unsuccessful votes, the Senate’s Republican leaders have put the chamber in recess until the following week, indicating the deadlock is unlikely to be ended before then.

At a press conference, the Republican House speaker, the speaker, blasted opposition lawmakers for rejecting the GOP bill, which passed in the lower chamber on a near party-line vote.

Federal workers’ final pay that 700,000 federal workers will see until Washington Democrats decide to do their job and end the shutdown,” the speaker said. “Starting next week, American service members, many of whom live paycheck to paycheck, are going to miss a full paycheck.”

Legal and Operational Constraints

Previously, unions sought a court injunction to block the government from implementing any reductions in force during the funding gap. Moreover, a court official directed the government to provide specifics on layoff plans, impacted departments, and if any government staff had been recalled to execute staff reductions.

An analysis argued that a funding lapse limits the authority of the government to conduct terminations, citing official advice that admitted any long-term staff cuts need to have been initiated before the shutdown began.

Consequences for Employees

The layoffs took place on the same day that government employees got only a partial paycheck covering the final days of the previous month but not the start of October, since funding lapsed at the start of the month.

A public service advocate, the head of the non-profit Partnership for Public Service, criticized the gridlock’s effect on federal employees.

“It is wrong to make federal employees suffer because our leaders in the legislature and the White House have failed to keep our government open and operational,” Stier said. “Our flight regulators, VA nurses, smoke jumpers and safety officials are not responsible for this funding crisis.”

The irony is that lawmakers and top administration officials are continuing to be paid amid the shutdown.