Administration Reveals Government Worker Layoffs as Shutdown Approaches Three-Week Mark
Administration officials confirmed the initiation of government employee terminations on Friday, following through on prior threats linked to the ongoing US government shutdown, which is now poised to extend into its third consecutive week.
Official Announcement and Early Information
Russell Vought posted on social media that “RIFs have begun,” indicating the government’s procedure for terminating staff.
Although Vought provided no details on which departments were affected, a treasury spokesperson stated that layoff warnings 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 announced that members at the Education Department would be impacted by the reduction in force.
Union Response and Court Actions
Union leaders cautions that the terminations would have “severe consequences” on services relied upon by millions of Americans and pledged to challenge the actions in court.
“It is disgraceful that the government has exploited the funding lapse as an pretext to illegally fire thousands of workers who deliver essential functions to communities across the country,” said Everett Kelley, representing the American Federation of Government Employees.
The AFL-CIO responded to the news, saying, “Labor organizations will see you in court.”
Legislative Impasse and Funding Battle
Congressional Democrats have declined to vote for a GOP-supported bill to reopen the government unless it contains provisions related to health policy. Following repeated failed attempts, the GOP leadership in the Senate have adjourned the Senate until the following week, meaning the standoff is not expected to be resolved before then.
At a media briefing, the Republican House speaker, Mike Johnson, criticized opposition lawmakers for not supporting the GOP bill, which was approved in the House on a largely partisan basis.
“This is the last paycheck that 700,000 federal workers will see until opposition leaders decide to fulfill their duties and reopen the government,” the speaker said. “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, unions sought a temporary restraining order to prevent the administration from implementing any reductions in force during the shutdown. Additionally, a court official directed the administration to provide specifics on termination strategies, affected agencies, and if any government staff had been brought back to execute staff reductions.
A report contended that a government shutdown limits the ability of the government to carry out firings, referencing guidance that admitted any long-term staff cuts need to have been started before the funding expired.
Consequences for Employees
The layoffs occurred on the very day that federal workers got only a incomplete payment covering the end of the previous month but excluding the start of the current month, since funding lapsed at the start of the period.
Max Stier, the head of the non-profit Partnership for Public Service, condemned the political stalemate’s impact on government workers.
This is unjust to make government staff bear the burden because our leaders in Congress and the White House have not succeeded to keep our government running,” Stier said. “Our flight regulators, veterans’ healthcare providers, smoke jumpers and safety officials are not responsible for this funding crisis.”
The irony is that members of Congress and senior White House leaders are still receiving salaries during the funding gap.
