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The White House confirmed the start of government employee terminations on Friday, following through on earlier warnings in response to the continuing federal funding lapse, which is now poised to extend into its third consecutive week.

Official Announcement and Early Information

The director of the White House budget office posted on social media that “RIFs have begun,” referring to the government’s process for terminating staff.

While Vought did not specify which departments were affected, a treasury spokesperson confirmed that notices had been issued within that agency. Furthermore, a Department of Homeland Security representative indicated that staff reductions would also occur at the CISA. Also, a union for federal workers confirmed that employees at the Department of Education would be impacted by the staff cuts.

Labor Reaction and Court Actions

Labor representatives cautions that the layoffs would have “devastating effects” on public services relied upon by millions of Americans and vowed to contest the actions in court.

This is shameful that the administration has exploited the funding lapse as an pretext to wrongfully terminate thousands of workers who provide critical services to communities nationwide,” said Everett Kelley, representing the American Federation of Government Employees.

The AFL-CIO responded to the announcement, declaring, “America’s unions will see you in court.”

Legislative Impasse and Funding Battle

Congressional Democrats have refused to vote for a Republican-backed bill to reopen the government unless it contains provisions related to health policy. Following multiple unsuccessful votes, the GOP leadership in the Senate have adjourned the Senate until the following week, indicating the deadlock is unlikely to be ended soon.

At a press conference, the Republican House speaker, the speaker, blasted opposition lawmakers for rejecting the GOP proposal, which was approved in the lower chamber on a near party-line vote.

“This is the last paycheck that government employees will see until Washington Democrats decide to fulfill their duties and reopen the government,” Johnson stated. “Starting next week, military personnel, 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 implementing any layoffs during the shutdown. Moreover, a court official directed the administration to disclose details on termination strategies, impacted departments, and whether any government staff had been recalled to execute staff reductions.

A report argued that a funding lapse restricts the ability of the government to conduct terminations, referencing official advice that acknowledged any permanent layoffs need to have been initiated before the shutdown began.

Impact on Workers

The layoffs occurred on the very day that federal workers received only a partial paycheck covering the final days of the previous month but not the start of October, since appropriations lapsed at the beginning of the period.

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

This is unjust to make federal employees bear the burden because our elected officials in the legislature and the White House have failed to keep our government running,” the advocate said. “Our flight regulators, VA nurses, wildland firefighters and food inspectors are not responsible for this government shutdown.”

The irony is that members of Congress and senior White House leaders are still receiving salaries during the shutdown.