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The White House disclosed the start of federal worker terminations on Friday, following through on earlier warnings in response to the continuing US government shutdown, which is now poised to stretch into its third consecutive week.

Official Announcement and Early Information

Russell Vought wrote on social media that “reductions in force have begun,” indicating the official procedure for terminating staff.

Although Vought did not specify which agencies were affected, a treasury spokesperson confirmed that notices had been issued within that agency. Additionally, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson noted that staff reductions would also occur at the CISA. Also, a labor organization for 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 “severe consequences” on services relied upon by millions of Americans and vowed to contest the actions in court.

“It is disgraceful that the government has used the funding lapse as an excuse to illegally fire numerous employees who deliver critical services to the public nationwide,” said Everett Kelley, who leads the American Federation of Government Employees.

The largest labor federation in the US reacted to the news, declaring, “America’s unions will see you in court.”

Political Standoff and Budget Dispute

Congressional Democrats have refused to vote for a GOP-supported legislation to reopen the government unless it contains provisions related to health policy. Following multiple unsuccessful votes, the Senate’s Republican leaders have adjourned the Senate until the following week, indicating the deadlock is unlikely to be ended soon.

During a media briefing, the Republican House speaker, the speaker, blasted Senate Democrats for rejecting the Republican bill, which passed in the lower chamber on a near party-line vote.

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

Judicial and Practical Limits

Last week, labor groups filed for a temporary restraining order to block the government from carrying out any layoffs during the shutdown. Additionally, a federal judge directed the administration to provide specifics on termination strategies, affected agencies, and whether any government staff had been brought back to execute staff reductions.

An analysis argued that a government shutdown restricts the ability of the administration to conduct terminations, citing official advice that admitted any long-term staff cuts need to have been initiated prior to the funding expired.

Consequences for Employees

These terminations took place on the very day that federal workers got only a partial paycheck for the final days of September but excluding the beginning of the current month, since appropriations lapsed at the beginning of the period.

A public service advocate, the president of the non-profit Partnership for Public Service, condemned the gridlock’s impact on federal employees.

This is unjust to make federal employees bear the burden because our elected officials in Congress and the administration have not succeeded to keep our government running,” Stier stated. The flight regulators, veterans’ healthcare providers, wildland firefighters and safety officials are not at fault for this government shutdown.”

The irony is that lawmakers and top administration officials are continuing to be paid during the shutdown.