Washington, D.C. — The Trump administration has begun laying off thousands of federal employees, escalating its confrontation with Democrats during the ongoing government shutdown and marking an unprecedented move in modern U.S. politics.
White House budget chief Russell Vought confirmed the layoffs in a post on X Friday morning, declaring, “The RIFs have begun,” referring to “reductions in force.” The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) later disclosed that more than 4,000 employees across seven federal agencies were receiving layoff notices as part of the first wave of cuts.
Major agencies including the Treasury Department, Health and Human Services (HHS), Education, and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) began issuing notices Friday. Treasury alone accounted for roughly 1,446 employees, while HHS notified between 1,100 and 1,200 workers. Other agencies, including Commerce, Energy, and Homeland Security, planned smaller reductions, with an additional 20–30 Environmental Protection Agency staff receiving “intent to RIF” notices.
The layoffs are legally required to be preceded by 30 days’ notice, but their timing — during a shutdown — has triggered legal challenges. Two major unions, the American Federation of Government Employees and the AFL-CIO, have asked a federal court in California to block the firings, calling the move “disgraceful” and accusing the administration of using the shutdown as “an excuse to illegally fire thousands of workers who provide critical services.”
In court filings, government lawyers argued that agencies must be allowed to reorganize their workforces to function efficiently without appropriations, warning that a restraining order would “irreparably harm the government.”
The layoffs mark a major escalation of President Trump’s long-standing goal to shrink the federal workforce, which has already been reduced by about 200,000 employees since his return to office in January through firings, buyouts, and attrition.
This shutdown—now entering its 11th day—has shuttered nearly 40% of the federal workforce, or about 750,000 workers, with both “non-essential” furloughed employees and essential staff currently working without pay.
Democrats blame Trump for creating “deliberate chaos” by refusing to support a funding bill that preserves key health care tax credits and Medicaid protections. Republicans counter that Democrats are holding the government hostage to partisan priorities.
The administration has suggested that furloughed workers may not receive back pay, breaking with past shutdown practices and intensifying pressure on lawmakers.
The move underscores the White House’s strategy to leverage the shutdown as a tool to force structural cuts to the federal government—a tactic that could deepen the political standoff as both sides dig in.