🔗 Share this article

Administration officials confirmed the initiation of federal worker terminations on the end of the week, making good on prior threats linked to the ongoing federal funding lapse, which is now poised to extend into its third straight week.

Formal Statement and Initial Details

Russell Vought wrote on a public platform that “RIFs have begun,” referring to the official process for terminating staff.

Although Vought did not specify which departments were impacted, a representative from the Treasury Department stated that notices had been issued within that department. Furthermore, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson noted that layoffs would take place at the CISA. Also, a labor organization representing federal workers announced that members at the Department of Education would be affected by the reduction in force.

Labor Reaction and Legal Challenges

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

“It is disgraceful that the administration has exploited the government shutdown as an excuse to illegally fire numerous employees who deliver essential functions to communities across the country,” stated a national union president, who leads the AFGE.

The largest labor federation in the US responded to the news, declaring, “America’s unions will see you in court.”

Legislative Impasse and Budget Dispute

Lawmakers from the Democratic party have declined to vote for a GOP-supported legislation to restore funding unless it contains healthcare-centered concessions. After repeated failed attempts, the GOP leadership in the Senate have put the chamber in recess until next Tuesday, meaning the deadlock is not expected to be ended before then.

At a press conference, the GOP leader in the House, the speaker, blasted Senate Democrats for not supporting the Republican bill, which passed 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,” Johnson stated. “Starting next week, military personnel, many of whom live paycheck to paycheck, are going to miss a full paycheck.”

Judicial and Practical Limits

Last week, labor groups filed for a temporary restraining order to block the administration from implementing any layoffs during the funding gap. Moreover, a federal judge directed the government to provide specifics on termination strategies, affected agencies, and if any government staff had been brought back to execute layoffs.

A report argued that a funding lapse restricts the ability of the administration to carry out firings, citing guidance that acknowledged any permanent layoffs need to have been started before the shutdown began.

Impact on Workers

The layoffs occurred on the same day that government employees received only a partial paycheck for the final days of September but excluding the start of the current month, since funding lapsed at the beginning of the period.

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

This is unjust to make government staff suffer because our leaders in Congress and the administration have not succeeded to keep our government open and operational,” the advocate said. The flight regulators, VA nurses, smoke jumpers and food inspectors are not at fault for this funding crisis.”

A notable point is that members of Congress and top administration officials are continuing to be paid amid the funding gap.