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Administration officials disclosed the initiation of federal worker terminations on Friday, making good on prior threats in response to the continuing US government shutdown, which is now poised to stretch into its third consecutive week.

Official Announcement and Early Information

The director of the White House budget office posted on a public platform that “RIFs have begun,” referring to the official process for letting employees go.

Although the official provided no details on which departments were affected, a representative from the Treasury Department confirmed that layoff warnings had been distributed within that agency. Furthermore, a DHS spokesperson indicated that layoffs would also occur at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Moreover, a union for federal workers announced that employees at the Education Department would be affected by the reduction in force.

Labor Reaction and Court Actions

Labor representatives warned that the layoffs would have “devastating effects” on public services relied upon by the public and vowed to challenge the moves in the legal system.

“It is disgraceful that the administration has exploited the funding lapse as an excuse to wrongfully terminate thousands of workers who deliver critical services to the public nationwide,” stated a national union president, representing the AFGE.

The AFL-CIO responded to the announcement, declaring, “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 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 next Tuesday, meaning the standoff is unlikely to be resolved soon.

At a media briefing, the GOP leader in the House, Mike Johnson, blasted opposition lawmakers for not supporting the Republican proposal, which passed in the House on a near party-line vote.

“This is the last paycheck that 700,000 federal workers will see until opposition leaders decide to fulfill their duties and end the shutdown,” the speaker stated. “Starting next week, American service members, who often live paycheck to paycheck, are going to miss a complete payment.”

Legal and Operational Constraints

Last week, labor groups filed for a temporary restraining order to prevent the government from carrying out any layoffs during the shutdown. Moreover, a court official ordered the administration to disclose details on layoff plans, impacted departments, and whether any government staff had been recalled to execute layoffs.

A report contended that a funding lapse restricts the authority of the government to conduct terminations, citing guidance that admitted any permanent layoffs need to have been initiated prior to the funding expired.

Consequences for Employees

These terminations occurred on the very day that government employees got only a incomplete payment covering the final days of the previous month but not the start of the current month, since funding expired at the start of the month.

A public service advocate, the head of the advocacy group, condemned the political stalemate’s impact on federal employees.

“It is wrong to make government staff suffer because our elected officials in the legislature and the administration have failed to keep our federal operations open and operational,” Stier said. “Our flight regulators, VA nurses, wildland firefighters and safety officials are not responsible for this funding crisis.”

The irony is that lawmakers and top administration officials are still receiving salaries during the funding gap.