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The White House confirmed the start of government employee layoffs on the end of the week, following through on prior threats in response to the continuing US government shutdown, which is set to stretch into its third consecutive week.

Official Announcement and Initial Details

Russell Vought wrote on a public platform that “RIFs have begun,” referring to the official process for letting employees go.

Although Vought did not specify which agencies were impacted, a treasury spokesperson stated that layoff warnings had been issued within that department. Furthermore, a DHS spokesperson indicated that layoffs would take place at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Also, a labor organization representing federal workers announced that members at the Education Department would be affected by the reduction in force.

Union Response and Court Actions

Union leaders cautions that the layoffs would have “devastating effects” on services relied upon by millions of Americans and vowed to challenge the actions in court.

“It is disgraceful that the administration has exploited the government shutdown as an pretext to illegally fire thousands of workers who deliver critical services to communities nationwide,” stated a national union president, representing the American Federation of Government Employees.

The AFL-CIO responded to the news, saying, “America’s unions will see you in court.”

Legislative Impasse and Budget Dispute

Congressional Democrats have declined to vote for a GOP-supported bill to restore funding unless it contains provisions related to health policy. After repeated failed attempts, the Senate’s Republican leaders have put the chamber in recess until the following week, meaning the standoff is unlikely to be ended soon.

During a media briefing, the GOP leader in the House, Mike Johnson, blasted opposition lawmakers for rejecting the Republican proposal, which passed in the lower chamber on a largely partisan basis.

“This is the last paycheck that government employees will see until opposition leaders decide to do their job and end the shutdown,” the speaker stated. “Starting next week, military personnel, who often live on tight budgets, are going to miss a full paycheck.”

Legal and Operational Constraints

Previously, unions sought a court injunction to block the administration from implementing any reductions in force during the shutdown. Additionally, a federal judge directed the government to provide specifics on layoff plans, impacted departments, and whether any government staff had been recalled to execute layoffs.

An analysis argued that a government shutdown limits the ability of the administration to carry out firings, citing official advice that acknowledged any permanent layoffs need to have been initiated before the funding expired.

Consequences for Employees

These terminations occurred on the same day that government employees received only a partial paycheck for the final days of September but excluding the start of the current month, since funding expired at the beginning of the month.

A public service advocate, the head of the non-profit Partnership for Public Service, criticized the gridlock’s impact on government workers.

“It is wrong to make government staff bear the burden because our leaders in the legislature and the administration have failed to keep our federal operations running,” the advocate said. “Our air traffic controllers, veterans’ healthcare providers, smoke jumpers and food inspectors are not responsible for this government shutdown.”

A notable point is that lawmakers and top administration officials are continuing to be paid during the shutdown.