White House lays off thousands of U.S. government workers, blaming shutdown

President Donald Trump on Friday blamed Democrats for his decision to dismiss thousands of employees across the U.S. government, as he carried out his threat to reduce the federal workforce during the ongoing government shutdown.

Job cuts were under way at the Treasury, Health and Human Services, Internal Revenue Service, Education, Commerce, and Homeland Security’s cybersecurity division, according to officials. However, the full extent of the layoffs was not immediately clear. Around 300,000 federal civilian employees were already expected to leave their posts this year as part of a downsizing campaign launched earlier by Trump.

“They started this,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, describing the dismissals as “Democrat-oriented.”

Although Republicans control both chambers of Congress, they still require Democratic support in the Senate to approve any legislation that would fund the government.

Democrats are demanding an extension of health-insurance subsidies, arguing that health costs will soar for many of the 24 million Americans covered under the Affordable Care Act.

Trump has repeatedly threatened to fire federal workers during the 10-day shutdown standoff and has indicated his administration would target departments typically supported by Democrats. He has also frozen at least $28 billion in infrastructure funds earmarked for New York, California, and Illinois — all states with large Democratic constituencies and critics of his administration.

The Justice Department said in a court filing that more than 4,200 federal employees had received layoff notices across seven agencies, including over 1,400 at the Treasury and at least 1,100 at Health and Human Services.

Democrats vow not to give in

Democrats said they would not yield to Trump’s pressure. “Until Republicans get serious, they own this — every job lost, every family hurt, every service gutted is because of their decisions,” said Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer.

Labour unions representing federal employees have filed lawsuits to halt the layoffs, calling them unlawful during a shutdown. The administration argued in a court filing that the unions lacked the legal right to challenge federal personnel decisions. A federal judge is expected to hear the case on 15 October.

Under the law, federal workers must be given 60 days’ notice before being laid off, though this period can be reduced to 30 days.

Some Republicans voiced opposition to the dismissals, including Senator Susan Collins, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “Regardless of whether federal employees have been working without pay or have been furloughed, their work is incredibly important in serving the public,” Collins said in a statement.

Furloughed workers targeted

Earlier on Friday, White House budget director Russell Vought wrote on social media that “the RIFs had begun,” referring to “reductions in force.” A spokesperson described the job cuts as “substantial” but provided no further detail.

The announcement coincided with the day many federal workers received smaller pay packets that excluded pay for the days since the shutdown began. Hundreds of thousands have been told not to report for duty, while others continue to work without pay. If the deadlock continues, the nation’s two million active-duty troops will miss their 15 October pay day entirely.

Andrew Nixon, communications director at the Department of Health and Human Services, confirmed that layoff notices had been sent to employees, focusing on staff already ordered not to work. Approximately 41% of the agency’s 78,000 employees have been furloughed.

Layoffs have also begun at the Treasury Department, according to a spokesperson who asked not to be named. A union official, Thomas Huddleston of the American Federation of Government Employees, stated in court filings that Treasury was preparing 1,300 layoff notices, likely to affect the tax-collecting Internal Revenue Service — which has already seen nearly half of its 78,000 staff furloughed.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development has also been affected, the union said, along with the Education and Commerce Departments. Trump has pledged to close the Education Department entirely, while Commerce oversees economic data, weather forecasts, and other key services.

Reports from other outlets indicated that the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy, and the Department of the Interior were also experiencing layoffs, though those agencies did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Homeland Security confirmed job cuts at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which drew Trump’s anger after the 2020 election when its director stated there was no evidence of widespread voter fraud. Trump continues to falsely claim that he lost that election to Democrat Joe Biden because of rigging.

The Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration are not affected, according to a source familiar with the situation.

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