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Administration officials disclosed the start of government employee layoffs on Friday, making good on earlier warnings linked to the ongoing US government shutdown, which is set to extend into its third consecutive week.

Official Announcement and Initial Details

The director of the White House budget office wrote on a public platform that “RIFs have begun,” referring to the official process for terminating staff.

Although Vought did not specify which departments were affected, a representative from the Treasury Department stated that layoff warnings had been distributed within that agency. Furthermore, a DHS spokesperson noted that layoffs would also occur at the CISA. Moreover, a union representing federal workers announced that members at the Department of Education would be affected by the reduction in force.

Union Response and Legal Challenges

Union leaders cautions that the layoffs would have “devastating effects” on services used by millions of Americans and pledged to contest the actions in the legal system.

This is shameful that the government has exploited the funding lapse as an excuse to illegally fire thousands of workers who provide critical services to the public nationwide,” said Everett Kelley, who leads the American Federation of Government Employees.

The AFL-CIO reacted to the announcement, declaring, “America’s unions will see you in court.”

Political Standoff and Budget Dispute

Lawmakers from the Democratic party have declined to support a Republican-backed bill to reopen the government unless it includes healthcare-centered concessions. After repeated failed attempts, the Senate’s Republican leaders have adjourned the Senate until next Tuesday, indicating the deadlock is unlikely to be resolved soon.

At a press conference, the GOP leader in the House, Mike Johnson, blasted Senate Democrats for rejecting the Republican bill, which was approved in the House on a near party-line vote.

“This is the last paycheck that government employees will see until opposition leaders decide to do their job and end the shutdown,” Johnson stated. Beginning shortly, American service members, many of whom live on tight budgets, are going to miss a full paycheck.”

Legal and Operational Constraints

Last week, labor groups filed for a court injunction to prevent the administration from carrying out any layoffs during the funding gap. Additionally, a court official directed the administration to disclose details on layoff plans, impacted departments, and whether any government staff had been brought back to carry out layoffs.

An analysis argued that a government shutdown restricts the ability of the administration to conduct terminations, referencing official advice that acknowledged any permanent layoffs need to have been initiated prior to the shutdown began.

Consequences for Employees

The layoffs occurred on the same day that government employees received only a partial paycheck for the final days of September but not the start of October, since funding expired at the start of the month.

A public service advocate, the head of the non-profit Partnership for Public Service, criticized the gridlock’s impact on government workers.

“It is wrong to make government staff suffer because our leaders in Congress and the White House have failed to keep our government open and operational,” Stier said. “Our flight regulators, veterans’ healthcare providers, smoke jumpers and safety officials are not at fault for this government shutdown.”

A notable point is that lawmakers and senior White House leaders are continuing to be paid amid the shutdown.