🔗 Share this article

The White House confirmed the initiation of federal worker layoffs on Friday, following through on prior threats in response to the ongoing US government shutdown, which is now poised to stretch into its third consecutive week.

Formal Statement and Initial Details

The director of the White House budget office wrote on social media that “reductions in force have begun,” referring to the government’s process for terminating staff.

Although the official did not specify which departments were impacted, a treasury spokesperson confirmed that notices had been issued within that department. Furthermore, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson noted that layoffs would take place at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Moreover, a labor organization representing federal workers announced that employees at the Department of Education would be impacted by the reduction in force.

Labor Reaction and Legal Challenges

Labor representatives warned that the terminations would have “devastating effects” on public services relied upon by millions of Americans and vowed to challenge the actions in court.

“It is disgraceful that the government has used the funding lapse as an pretext to wrongfully terminate numerous employees who deliver essential functions to communities across the country,” stated a national union president, representing the AFGE.

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

Political Standoff and Budget Dispute

Congressional Democrats have declined to vote for a GOP-supported legislation to reopen the government unless it includes provisions related to health policy. After repeated failed attempts, the Senate’s Republican leaders have put the chamber in recess until the following week, indicating the deadlock is not expected to be resolved before then.

During a media briefing, the Republican House speaker, Mike Johnson, criticized Senate Democrats for not supporting the Republican proposal, which was approved in the House on a largely partisan basis.

“This is the last paycheck that 700,000 federal workers will see until Washington Democrats decide to do their job and reopen the government,” Johnson stated. “Starting next week, military personnel, many of whom live on tight budgets, are going to miss a full paycheck.”

Judicial and Practical Limits

Previously, unions sought a temporary restraining order to prevent the administration from implementing any reductions in force during the shutdown. Additionally, a federal judge ordered the government to disclose details on layoff plans, affected agencies, and whether any federal employees had been recalled to carry out layoffs.

A report argued that a government shutdown limits the authority of the government to conduct terminations, referencing guidance that acknowledged any permanent layoffs need to have been started before the shutdown began.

Consequences for Employees

The layoffs occurred on the very day that federal workers received only a partial paycheck for the end of the previous month but not the start of the current month, since funding lapsed at the start of the month.

Max Stier, the president of the non-profit Partnership for Public Service, criticized the gridlock’s impact on federal employees.

This is unjust to make federal employees suffer because our leaders in Congress and the administration have not succeeded to keep our federal operations running,” Stier stated. “Our flight regulators, VA nurses, smoke jumpers and safety officials are not responsible for this government shutdown.”

A notable point is that lawmakers and senior White House leaders are still receiving salaries during the shutdown.