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Administration officials confirmed the start of government employee terminations on Friday, making good on earlier warnings linked to the continuing federal funding lapse, which is set to stretch 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,” referring to the official procedure for terminating staff.

While the official provided no details on which departments were affected, a representative from the Treasury Department stated that notices had been distributed within that agency. Additionally, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson indicated that staff reductions would take place at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Moreover, a union representing federal workers announced that members 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 “devastating effects” on public services used by millions of Americans and pledged to contest the actions in court.

“It is disgraceful that the administration has exploited the government shutdown as an pretext to illegally fire thousands of workers who provide critical services to the public nationwide,” said a national union president, who leads the AFGE.

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

Political Standoff and Budget Dispute

Congressional Democrats have refused to support a Republican-backed legislation 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 the following week, meaning the standoff is not expected to be ended soon.

During a media briefing, the Republican House speaker, the speaker, blasted opposition lawmakers for rejecting the GOP proposal, which passed in the House on a near party-line vote.

Federal workers’ final pay that government employees will see until Washington Democrats decide to fulfill their duties and reopen the government,” Johnson said. Beginning shortly, American service members, who often live paycheck to paycheck, are going to miss a full paycheck.”

Judicial and Practical Limits

Previously, labor groups sought a temporary restraining order to block the administration from carrying out any reductions in force during the shutdown. Moreover, a federal judge ordered the administration to disclose details on layoff plans, impacted departments, and whether any federal employees had been brought back to execute layoffs.

A report argued that a government shutdown limits the ability of the government to carry out firings, citing guidance that acknowledged any permanent layoffs need to have been started prior to the shutdown began.

Consequences for Employees

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

Max Stier, the president of the non-profit Partnership for Public Service, criticized the gridlock’s effect on federal employees.

This is unjust to make government staff suffer because our leaders in the legislature and the White House have failed to keep our federal operations running,” the advocate said. “Our air traffic controllers, veterans’ healthcare providers, wildland firefighters and safety officials are not at fault for this government shutdown.”

A notable point is that members of Congress and senior White House leaders are continuing to be paid during the funding gap.