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The White House disclosed the start of government employee terminations on the end of the week, following through on earlier warnings in response to the continuing US government shutdown, which is set to stretch into its third straight week.

Formal Statement and Initial Details

The director of the White House budget office wrote on social media that “reductions in force have begun,” indicating the government’s procedure for letting employees go.

While Vought provided no details on which agencies were affected, a treasury spokesperson confirmed that notices had been distributed within that department. Additionally, a DHS representative noted that layoffs would also occur at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Moreover, a union for federal workers confirmed that employees at the Education Department would be impacted by the staff cuts.

Union Response and Legal Challenges

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

This is shameful that the administration has used the funding lapse as an excuse to illegally fire thousands of workers who deliver critical services to the public nationwide,” said a national union president, who leads the AFGE.

The largest labor federation in the US responded to the news, saying, “Labor organizations will see you in court.”

Political Standoff and Budget Dispute

Congressional Democrats have declined to support a GOP-supported legislation to reopen the government unless it contains provisions related to health policy. After multiple unsuccessful votes, the GOP leadership in the Senate have adjourned the Senate until the following week, meaning the deadlock is unlikely to be ended soon.

During a media briefing, the GOP leader in the House, Mike Johnson, blasted Senate Democrats for rejecting the GOP proposal, which was approved in the lower chamber 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 end the shutdown,” the speaker said. Beginning shortly, military personnel, many of whom live paycheck to paycheck, are going to miss a full paycheck.”

Legal and Operational Constraints

Last week, unions filed for a temporary restraining order to prevent the administration from implementing any reductions in force during the funding gap. Moreover, a federal judge directed the administration to provide specifics on layoff plans, impacted departments, and if any government staff had been recalled to carry out layoffs.

A report argued that a funding lapse restricts the authority of the administration to carry out firings, citing official advice that admitted any long-term staff cuts need to have been initiated prior to the funding expired.

Impact on Workers

These terminations occurred on the very day that government employees received only a partial paycheck covering the final days of September but not the start of October, since funding lapsed at the beginning of the period.

A public service advocate, the head of the non-profit Partnership for Public Service, criticized the political stalemate’s impact on federal employees.

This is unjust to make government staff bear the burden because our elected officials in Congress and the administration have not succeeded to keep our federal operations open and operational,” Stier stated. The air traffic controllers, VA nurses, smoke jumpers and safety officials are not responsible for this government shutdown.”

A notable point is that members of Congress and senior White House leaders are still receiving salaries amid the shutdown.