Trump Administration Commences Layoffs Amid Government Shutdown

Mon Oct 20 2025 23:39:14 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

In a controversial move, the Trump administration initiates the layoff of thousands of federal workers in response to an ongoing government shutdown, sparking legal challenges from labor unions.

The Trump administration has started laying off over 4,000 federal employees as part of a 'reduction in force' strategy during an ongoing government shutdown. White House Office of Management Director Russell Vought announced the layoffs, causing significant backlash from federal unions. The cuts were confirmed across several agencies, including Treasury and Health and Human Services, with the potential for more layoffs as the shutdown continues, violating traditional protocols seen during past government closures.

The Trump administration has begun laying off thousands of federal workers in an effort to pressure Democrats amid the ongoing government shutdown.

'The RIFs have begun,' White House Office of Management Director Russell Vought announced in a post on X on Friday morning, referring to an acronym for 'reductions in force'.

A spokesman for his office confirmed the cuts had started and were 'substantial'. Their size and scope began coming into focus later on Friday, when the administration disclosed seven agencies had started laying off more than 4,000 workers.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to use the shutdown to further his long-held goal of reducing the federal workforce.

By law, the federal government must give its workers at least 30-days notice that it is laying them off. Major departments such as Treasury and Health and Human Services (HHS) confirmed they were issuing notices to employees, while the Department of Homeland Security prepared to lay off workers at its Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

However, exact details were scarce, prompting two major unions, the American Federation of Government Employees and AFL-CIO, to file a lawsuit challenging the legality of the layoffs. AFGE president Everett Kelley criticized the administration's actions as disgraceful, echoing widespread concerns over the impact on federal services.

According to government lawyers, around 4,600 affected employees were set to receive RIF notices, with the Treasury Department seeing nearly 1,446 layoffs and HHS notifying between 1,100 and 1,200 employees. The potential fallout from the layoffs extends across multiple agencies.

The unprecedented situation has raised alarms given past shutdowns where furloughed employees returned to work and received back-pay. The current shutdown, initiated 10 days ago, has resulted in about 750,000 federal workers being affected. Criticism has grown among Democrats who contend that the administration is exploiting the situation to advance its workforce agenda, while Republican lawmakers point fingers at Democrats for the impasse.

In conclusion, the Trump administration's initiation of these layoffs during a government shutdown marks a controversial and possibly unlawful strategy, threatening the livelihoods of thousands of federal employees and igniting significant political and legal disputes.