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Administration officials disclosed the start of government employee terminations on Friday, making good on prior threats in response to the continuing US government shutdown, which is set to extend into its third straight week.

Official Announcement and Early Information

The director of the White House budget office wrote on social media that “RIFs have begun,” indicating the official procedure for terminating staff.

While Vought did not specify which agencies were impacted, a representative from the Treasury Department stated that layoff warnings had been issued within that department. Additionally, a DHS spokesperson noted that staff reductions would take place at the CISA. Also, a labor organization for federal workers announced that employees at the Education Department would be affected by the reduction in force.

Union Response and Court Actions

Labor representatives warned that the layoffs would have “severe consequences” on services relied upon by the public and pledged to challenge the actions in court.

“It is disgraceful that the administration has used the government shutdown as an pretext to illegally fire thousands of workers who provide essential functions to the public across the country,” said Everett Kelley, representing the American Federation of Government Employees.

The AFL-CIO reacted to the news, saying, “Labor organizations will see you in court.”

Political Standoff and Budget Dispute

Congressional Democrats have refused to vote for a GOP-supported legislation to reopen the government unless it includes provisions related to health policy. After multiple unsuccessful votes, the Senate’s Republican leaders have put the chamber in recess until the following week, meaning the deadlock is unlikely to be resolved soon.

At a media briefing, the Republican House speaker, Mike Johnson, criticized opposition lawmakers for not supporting the GOP proposal, which was approved in the House on a near party-line vote.

Federal workers’ final pay that 700,000 federal workers will see until Washington Democrats decide to do their job and reopen the government,” the speaker stated. Beginning shortly, American service members, many of whom live on tight budgets, are going to miss a full paycheck.”

Judicial and Practical Limits

Last week, unions sought a temporary restraining order to block the government from implementing any layoffs during the shutdown. Moreover, a federal judge directed the government to provide specifics on layoff plans, impacted departments, and whether any government staff had been brought back to carry out staff reductions.

An analysis contended that a government shutdown restricts the authority of the government to carry out firings, referencing official advice that admitted any permanent layoffs need to have been started prior to the shutdown began.

Consequences for Employees

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

A public service advocate, the head of the advocacy group, criticized the gridlock’s effect on federal employees.

This is unjust to make federal employees suffer because our leaders in the legislature and the administration have not succeeded to keep our federal operations running,” Stier said. The flight regulators, VA nurses, smoke jumpers and safety officials are not at fault for this government shutdown.”

The irony is that lawmakers and top administration officials are still receiving salaries amid the funding gap.