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Administration officials disclosed the start of government employee layoffs on the end of the week, making good on prior threats in response to the ongoing US government shutdown, which is now poised to extend into its third consecutive week.

Official Announcement and Early Information

The director of the White House budget office wrote on a public platform that “reductions in force have begun,” referring to the official procedure for letting employees go.

While Vought did not specify which departments were impacted, a representative from the Treasury Department stated that notices had been issued within that agency. Furthermore, a DHS spokesperson indicated that layoffs would take place at the CISA. Moreover, a labor organization representing federal workers announced that employees at the Education Department would be impacted by the reduction in force.

Labor Reaction and Court Actions

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

“It is disgraceful that the government has used the government shutdown as an pretext to wrongfully terminate thousands of workers who provide essential functions to the public across the country,” said a national union president, who leads the AFGE.

The AFL-CIO responded to the announcement, saying, “America’s unions will see you in court.”

Legislative Impasse and Budget Dispute

Congressional Democrats have refused to vote for a GOP-supported bill to restore funding unless it includes provisions related to health policy. After repeated failed attempts, the Senate’s Republican leaders have put the chamber in recess until the following week, meaning the deadlock is unlikely to be resolved before then.

During a press conference, the GOP leader in the House, the speaker, blasted Senate Democrats for not supporting the GOP proposal, which passed in the House on a near party-line vote.

“This is the last paycheck that government employees will see until opposition leaders decide to fulfill their duties and reopen the government,” Johnson stated. “Starting next week, American service members, many of whom live on tight budgets, are going to miss a complete payment.”

Judicial and Practical Limits

Last week, unions sought a court injunction to prevent the administration from carrying out any layoffs during the funding gap. 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 carry out staff reductions.

An analysis argued that a government shutdown limits the authority of the government to carry out firings, citing guidance that acknowledged any long-term staff cuts need to have been initiated prior to the shutdown began.

Impact on Workers

These terminations took place on the same day that government employees got only a incomplete payment for the end of the previous month but excluding the start of the current month, since appropriations lapsed at the beginning of the month.

A public service advocate, the president of the advocacy group, condemned the political stalemate’s effect on federal employees.

This is unjust to make federal employees bear the burden because our elected officials in Congress and the administration have not succeeded to keep our federal operations running,” the advocate stated. The air traffic controllers, veterans’ healthcare providers, wildland firefighters and safety officials are not at fault for this funding crisis.”

The irony is that members of Congress and senior White House leaders are still receiving salaries during the shutdown.