White House Reveals Federal Employee Layoffs as Shutdown Nears Third Week
Administration officials confirmed 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 straight week.
Official Announcement and Initial Details
Russell Vought posted on a public platform that “reductions in force have begun,” indicating the government’s process for letting employees go.
While Vought did not specify which agencies were impacted, a representative from the Treasury Department confirmed that layoff warnings had been issued within that department. Additionally, a DHS spokesperson indicated that staff reductions would also occur at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Moreover, a union representing federal workers confirmed that employees at the Department of Education would be affected by the staff cuts.
Union Response and Court Actions
Union leaders warned that the layoffs would have “severe consequences” on public services used by the public and vowed to contest the actions in court.
This is shameful that the government has used the funding lapse as an pretext to wrongfully terminate thousands of workers who deliver essential functions to communities across the country,” stated a national union president, representing the AFGE.
The AFL-CIO responded to the news, saying, “Labor organizations will see you in court.”
Political Standoff and Funding Battle
Congressional Democrats have declined to support a Republican-backed bill to restore funding unless it contains provisions related to health policy. After multiple unsuccessful votes, the Senate’s Republican leaders have put the chamber in recess until the following week, indicating the standoff is unlikely to be resolved soon.
At a media briefing, the Republican House speaker, the speaker, blasted Senate Democrats for rejecting the Republican proposal, which was approved in the lower chamber on a largely partisan basis.
Federal workers’ final pay that government employees will see until Washington Democrats decide to fulfill their duties and end the shutdown,” the speaker said. “Starting next week, American service members, many of whom live paycheck to paycheck, are going to miss a full paycheck.”
Judicial and Practical Limits
Previously, labor groups filed for a court injunction to block the government from implementing any reductions in force during the shutdown. Additionally, a federal judge ordered the government to disclose details on layoff plans, impacted departments, and if any government staff had been brought back to carry out layoffs.
An analysis contended that a government shutdown limits the authority of the government to conduct terminations, referencing guidance that acknowledged any permanent layoffs need to have been initiated prior to the funding expired.
Consequences for Employees
The layoffs occurred on the very day that government employees got only a incomplete payment for the end of September but excluding the beginning of October, since appropriations expired at the beginning of the period.
A public service advocate, the president of the non-profit Partnership for Public Service, condemned the political stalemate’s impact on federal employees.
This is unjust to make federal employees suffer because our elected officials in the legislature and the administration have not succeeded to keep our government running,” Stier stated. “Our air traffic controllers, VA nurses, wildland firefighters and food inspectors are not at fault for this funding crisis.”
A notable point is that members of Congress and senior White House leaders are continuing to be paid during the shutdown.