Topline
The federal government began laying off thousands of employees Friday as part of a mass reduction in force tied to the government shutdown.
Layoff notices were sent to about 4,200 employees across eight government agencies, the Office of Management and Budget said in court documents in response to a lawsuit filed by the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest federal employee union, which represents 800,000 workers.
Nearly 1,500 Treasury Department employees were laid off, according to OMB, including about 1,300 workers at the IRS, Bloomberg reported.
The Health and Human Services Department was also among the agencies hit hardest, with OMB reporting layoffs of up to 1,200 employees.
Dozens of employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention received termination notices Friday, including about 70 Epidemic Intelligence Service officers, known as “disease detectives,” and staff at the Morbidity and Morality Weekly Report publication, The New York Times reported.
The Department of Homeland Security notified 176 workers they’d be laid off, according to court documents, all being employees of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, PBS reported.
Details of the layoffs were made public late Friday, shortly after White House budget chief Russ Vought announced on X “the RIFs [reductions in force] have begun,” prompting the AFGE to immediately file a motion asking a court to block the move.
Education: 446
Housing and Urban Development: 442
Commerce: 315 employees
Energy: 187
Environmental Protection Agency: 20-30
The AFGE and other federal unions argue the OMB has no authority to conduct the layoffs, citing in part the Antideficiency Act that forbids the federal government from incurring new expenses during a shutdown. The reductions in force require staff to perform work associated with the layoffs, including issuing notices to affected employees, and the promise of severance payments.
The layoffs won’t take effect for 30-60 days, the Washington Post reported, citing federal guidance. More layoffs, in addition to those reported Friday, are expected, an unnamed senior administration official told the Washington Post.
The federal government shut down Oct. 1 when Congress failed to come to an agreement on a new spending plan. It’s expected to continue until at least Tuesday, when the Senate is scheduled to vote next, though there’s no sign that Republicans and Democrats are willing to negotiate to reopen the government. Days before the shutdown began, the Trump administration asked federal agencies to identify agencies whose funding would lapse, warning those that don’t align with President Donald Trump’s priorities would be targeted for cuts. Trump told reporters Friday his administration was using the shutdown to lay off “people that the Democrats want,” alleging the party is to blame for the shutdown.
Trump Begins Threatened Mass Layoffs During Shutdown (Forbes)
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Democrats Dig In On Shutdown Fight: ‘Every Day Gets Better For Us’ (Forbes)