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The White House disclosed the start of federal worker layoffs on the end of the week, following through on prior threats linked to the continuing US government shutdown, which is now poised to extend 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 official procedure for letting employees go.

While Vought provided no details on which agencies were affected, a treasury spokesperson stated that notices had been issued within that department. Furthermore, a Department of Homeland Security representative noted that layoffs would also occur at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Moreover, a labor organization for federal workers confirmed that members at the Department of Education would be affected by the staff cuts.

Labor Reaction and Court Actions

Union leaders warned that the terminations would have “severe consequences” on services relied upon by millions of Americans and vowed to contest the actions in court.

This is shameful that the administration has used the funding lapse as an excuse to wrongfully terminate thousands of workers who deliver critical services to the public across the country,” stated Everett Kelley, representing 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.”

Political Standoff and Budget Dispute

Congressional Democrats have declined to support a GOP-supported bill to restore funding unless it contains healthcare-centered concessions. After 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 resolved soon.

At a media briefing, the GOP leader in the House, the speaker, blasted Senate Democrats for rejecting the Republican bill, which passed in the House on a near party-line vote.

“This is the last paycheck that 700,000 federal workers will see until Washington Democrats decide to do their job and reopen the government,” the speaker stated. “Starting next week, American service members, who often live paycheck to paycheck, are going to miss a complete payment.”

Judicial and Practical Limits

Previously, unions sought a court injunction to block the administration from carrying out any layoffs during the shutdown. Moreover, a court official ordered the government to provide specifics on layoff plans, impacted departments, and if any government staff had been brought back to execute staff reductions.

A report argued that a funding lapse restricts the authority of the administration to carry out firings, citing official advice that admitted any permanent layoffs need to have been started before the shutdown began.

Consequences for Employees

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

Max Stier, the head of the non-profit Partnership for Public Service, criticized the political stalemate’s impact on government workers.

This is unjust to make government staff suffer because our elected officials in the legislature and the administration have not succeeded to keep our federal operations open and operational,” the advocate stated. “Our flight regulators, veterans’ healthcare providers, smoke jumpers and safety officials are not responsible for this government shutdown.”

A notable point is that members of Congress and top administration officials are continuing to be paid during the funding gap.