🔗 Share this article White House Announces Government Worker Job Cuts as Shutdown Nears Three-Week Mark The White House disclosed the start of federal worker layoffs on Friday, following through on prior threats in response to the continuing US government shutdown, which is now poised to stretch into its third straight week. Formal Statement and Initial Details Russell Vought wrote on social media that “reductions in force have begun,” referring to the official process for letting employees go. While the official provided no details on which agencies were impacted, a treasury spokesperson stated that layoff warnings had been distributed within that department. Furthermore, a Department of Homeland Security representative noted that staff reductions would take place at the CISA. Also, a union representing federal workers announced that members at the Department of Education would be impacted by the reduction in force. Union Response and Legal Challenges Labor representatives warned that the layoffs would have “devastating effects” on services used by millions of Americans and pledged to challenge the actions in the legal system. This is shameful that the administration has exploited the government shutdown as an pretext to wrongfully terminate thousands of workers who provide critical services to the public across the country,” stated a national union president, representing the American Federation of Government Employees. The largest labor federation in the US reacted 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 Republican-backed legislation to restore funding unless it includes provisions related to health policy. Following multiple unsuccessful votes, the Senate’s Republican leaders have adjourned the Senate until next Tuesday, meaning the deadlock is not expected to be resolved soon. During a media briefing, the GOP leader in the House, Mike Johnson, criticized opposition lawmakers for rejecting the Republican proposal, which passed in the lower chamber on a near party-line vote. Federal workers’ final pay that 700,000 federal workers will see until opposition leaders decide to do their job and end the shutdown,” Johnson said. “Starting next week, military personnel, who often live paycheck to paycheck, are going to miss a complete payment.” Legal and Operational Constraints Last week, unions filed for a court injunction to prevent the administration from implementing any reductions in force during the funding gap. Moreover, a federal judge directed the administration to disclose details on layoff plans, impacted departments, and whether any federal employees had been recalled to execute layoffs. A report argued that a government shutdown limits the authority of the administration to conduct terminations, citing guidance that acknowledged any long-term staff cuts need to have been started before the shutdown began. Impact on Workers These terminations took place on the very day that federal workers received only a partial paycheck covering the end of the previous month but excluding the start of the current month, since appropriations expired at the beginning of the period. A public service advocate, the head of the advocacy group, criticized the political stalemate’s effect on government workers. “It is wrong to make federal employees bear the burden because our elected officials in Congress and the White House have failed to keep our federal operations running,” Stier said. “Our air traffic controllers, VA nurses, smoke jumpers and food inspectors are not responsible for this funding crisis.” The irony is that lawmakers and senior White House leaders are continuing to be paid during the funding gap.