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Administration officials confirmed the start of federal worker terminations on Friday, making good on prior threats in response to the ongoing federal funding lapse, which is set to stretch into its third consecutive week.

Formal Statement and Early Information

Russell Vought posted on a public platform that “RIFs have begun,” indicating the government’s procedure for terminating staff.

While Vought did not specify which departments were impacted, a representative from the Treasury Department stated that layoff warnings had been issued within that agency. Additionally, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson noted that layoffs would also occur at the CISA. Also, a union representing federal workers confirmed that members at the Education Department would be affected by the reduction in force.

Union Response and Court Actions

Labor representatives warned that the layoffs would have “severe consequences” on public services used by the public and pledged to contest the moves in court.

“It is disgraceful that the government has used the funding lapse as an pretext to illegally fire thousands of workers who deliver critical services to the public nationwide,” said a national union president, who leads the American Federation of Government Employees.

The largest labor federation in the US responded to the announcement, declaring, “Labor organizations will see you in court.”

Political Standoff and Funding Battle

Congressional Democrats have refused to support a Republican-backed legislation to reopen the government unless it includes healthcare-centered concessions. After multiple unsuccessful votes, the Senate’s Republican leaders have put the chamber in recess until next Tuesday, indicating the standoff is not expected to be resolved soon.

At a media briefing, the GOP leader in the House, Mike Johnson, criticized opposition lawmakers for not supporting the GOP bill, which passed in the House on a largely partisan basis.

Federal workers’ final pay that 700,000 federal workers will see until opposition leaders decide to do their job and end the shutdown,” Johnson stated. “Starting next week, military personnel, who often live paycheck to paycheck, are going to miss a complete payment.”

Legal and Operational Constraints

Last week, labor groups sought a temporary restraining order to prevent the government from carrying out any reductions in force during the shutdown. Additionally, a federal judge directed the government to provide specifics on layoff plans, impacted departments, and whether any federal employees had been brought back to execute layoffs.

An analysis argued that a government shutdown limits the ability of the government to conduct terminations, citing official advice that acknowledged any permanent layoffs need to have been started prior to the shutdown began.

Impact on Workers

These terminations occurred on the very day that federal workers received only a incomplete payment for the final days of the previous month but excluding the start of October, since funding lapsed at the start of the period.

A public service advocate, the head of the non-profit Partnership for Public Service, criticized the political stalemate’s effect on federal employees.

“It is wrong to make federal employees suffer because our elected officials in the legislature and the administration have failed to keep our federal operations running,” Stier stated. “Our air traffic controllers, veterans’ healthcare providers, wildland firefighters and safety officials are not responsible for this government shutdown.”

The irony is that lawmakers and top administration officials are still receiving salaries during the shutdown.