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Administration officials disclosed the start of federal worker layoffs on Friday, making good on prior threats in response to the continuing US government shutdown, which is set to extend into its third straight week.

Formal Statement and Initial Details

Russell Vought posted on social media that “reductions in force have begun,” referring to the government’s procedure for terminating staff.

Although the official did not specify which departments were affected, a treasury spokesperson confirmed that layoff warnings had been distributed within that agency. Furthermore, a Department of Homeland Security representative noted that layoffs would take place at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Also, a union for federal workers announced that members at the Education Department would be impacted by the staff cuts.

Labor Reaction and Legal Challenges

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

“It is disgraceful that the government has used the funding lapse as an excuse to wrongfully terminate thousands of workers who provide critical services to the public across the country,” said a national union president, representing the American Federation of Government Employees.

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

Legislative Impasse and Budget Dispute

Lawmakers from the Democratic party have refused to vote for a Republican-backed legislation to restore funding unless it contains provisions related to health policy. After repeated failed attempts, the Senate’s Republican leaders have adjourned the Senate until next Tuesday, meaning the standoff is unlikely to be ended before then.

During a press conference, the GOP leader in the House, Mike Johnson, blasted opposition lawmakers for not supporting the Republican bill, which was approved in the lower chamber on a largely partisan basis.

“This is the last paycheck that government employees will see until opposition leaders decide to do their job and end the shutdown,” the speaker said. “Starting next week, military personnel, who often live on tight budgets, are going to miss a complete payment.”

Legal and Operational Constraints

Previously, unions filed for a court injunction to prevent the administration from carrying out any reductions in force during the shutdown. Additionally, a federal judge ordered the administration to disclose details on layoff plans, impacted departments, and if any government staff had been brought back to execute staff reductions.

A report contended that a government shutdown restricts the authority of the government to conduct terminations, citing official advice that admitted any long-term staff cuts need to have been initiated before the funding expired.

Impact on Workers

These terminations occurred on the very day that federal workers got only a partial paycheck for the final days of September but not the beginning of October, since funding lapsed at the start of the month.

Max Stier, the president of the advocacy group, criticized the political stalemate’s impact on federal employees.

This is unjust to make government staff bear the burden because our elected officials in Congress and the White House have failed to keep our federal operations running,” Stier said. “Our air traffic controllers, veterans’ healthcare providers, wildland firefighters and safety officials are not responsible for this funding crisis.”

The irony is that lawmakers and senior White House leaders are continuing to be paid during the funding gap.