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The White House disclosed the initiation of government employee layoffs on Friday, making good on prior threats linked to the continuing US government shutdown, which is now poised to stretch into its third straight week.

Official Announcement and Initial Details

Russell Vought wrote on social media that “reductions in force have begun,” indicating the official procedure for letting employees go.

While Vought provided no details on which agencies were impacted, a representative from the Treasury Department confirmed that notices had been issued within that agency. Furthermore, 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 Department of Education would be affected by the staff cuts.

Labor Reaction and Court Actions

Union leaders warned that the terminations would have “devastating effects” on public services used by millions of Americans and vowed to contest the actions in court.

This is shameful that the government has exploited the government shutdown as an pretext to illegally fire numerous employees who provide essential functions to the public across the country,” stated Everett Kelley, who leads the AFGE.

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

Political Standoff and Funding Battle

Lawmakers from the Democratic party have declined to support a Republican-backed bill to restore funding unless it includes healthcare-centered concessions. After multiple unsuccessful votes, the GOP leadership in the Senate have put the chamber in recess until the following week, meaning the deadlock is unlikely to be ended before then.

During a press conference, the GOP leader in the House, the speaker, blasted opposition lawmakers for not supporting the GOP bill, which was approved in the House 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 reopen the government,” Johnson said. “Starting next week, American service members, many of whom live paycheck to paycheck, are going to miss a full paycheck.”

Legal and Operational Constraints

Last week, unions sought a temporary restraining order to block the administration from carrying out any reductions in force during the funding gap. Moreover, a federal judge directed the government to provide specifics on layoff plans, affected agencies, and if any government staff had been recalled to execute layoffs.

An analysis argued that a government shutdown restricts the authority of the government to conduct terminations, citing official advice that acknowledged any permanent layoffs need to have been started prior to the shutdown began.

Consequences for Employees

The layoffs took place on the same day that government employees got only a incomplete payment covering the end 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 government workers.

“It is wrong to make government staff suffer because our elected officials in the legislature and the administration have not succeeded to keep our federal operations open and operational,” the advocate stated. “Our flight regulators, veterans’ healthcare providers, wildland firefighters and food inspectors are not at fault for this funding crisis.”

A notable point is that lawmakers and senior White House leaders are still receiving salaries during the shutdown.