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The White House disclosed the start of federal worker layoffs on the end of the week, following through on earlier warnings linked to the continuing federal funding lapse, which is now poised to stretch into its third consecutive week.

Official Announcement and Initial Details

Russell Vought posted on a public platform that “RIFs have begun,” referring to the official procedure for letting employees go.

Although the official did not specify which agencies were impacted, a representative from the Treasury Department confirmed that layoff warnings had been issued within that department. Furthermore, a DHS representative indicated that staff reductions would also occur at the CISA. Also, a labor organization representing federal workers confirmed that employees at the Department of Education 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 used by millions of Americans and vowed to contest the moves in court.

“It is disgraceful that the government has used the government shutdown as an pretext to wrongfully terminate thousands of workers who provide critical services to the public across the country,” said Everett Kelley, who leads the AFGE.

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

Political Standoff and Budget Dispute

Lawmakers from the Democratic party have refused to support a GOP-supported bill to reopen the government unless it includes provisions related to health policy. Following multiple unsuccessful votes, the GOP leadership in the Senate have adjourned the Senate until next Tuesday, meaning the deadlock is unlikely to be resolved soon.

During a press conference, the Republican House speaker, Mike Johnson, blasted opposition lawmakers for not supporting the GOP proposal, which passed in the House on a largely partisan basis.

“This is the last paycheck that government employees will see until Washington Democrats decide to fulfill their duties and reopen the government,” the speaker said. “Starting next week, military personnel, many of whom live on tight budgets, are going to miss a complete payment.”

Legal and Operational Constraints

Last week, unions sought a court injunction to block the administration from carrying out any reductions in force during the shutdown. Moreover, a court official directed the government to provide specifics on termination strategies, impacted departments, and whether any federal employees had been brought back to execute staff reductions.

A report argued that a government shutdown limits the authority of the government to conduct terminations, referencing official advice that acknowledged any permanent layoffs need to have been started before the funding expired.

Consequences for Employees

These terminations occurred on the same day that federal workers received only a incomplete payment covering the final days of the previous month but excluding the start of the current month, since funding lapsed at the start of the month.

A public service advocate, the president of the advocacy group, condemned the political stalemate’s impact on government workers.

“It is wrong to make government staff suffer because our elected officials in Congress and the administration have not succeeded to keep our federal operations running,” the advocate said. The flight regulators, VA nurses, wildland firefighters and food inspectors are not at fault for this funding crisis.”

The irony is that members of Congress and top administration officials are continuing to be paid during the funding gap.