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Administration officials confirmed the initiation of government employee layoffs on Friday, following through on prior threats in response to the continuing US government shutdown, which is set to stretch into its third consecutive week.

Official Announcement and Initial Details

The director of the White House budget office posted on social media that “RIFs have begun,” referring to the government’s process for terminating staff.

While Vought provided no details on which departments were affected, a representative from the Treasury Department stated that layoff warnings had been distributed within that department. Furthermore, a Department of Homeland Security representative indicated that layoffs would take place at the CISA. Also, a union representing federal workers confirmed that employees at the Department of Education would be affected by the staff cuts.

Labor Reaction and Legal Challenges

Labor representatives warned that the terminations would have “severe consequences” on services relied upon by millions of Americans and vowed to contest the moves in court.

This is shameful that the administration has used the government shutdown as an excuse to wrongfully terminate thousands of workers who deliver essential functions to the public across the country,” said Everett Kelley, who leads the AFGE.

The AFL-CIO reacted to the news, declaring, “Labor organizations will see you in court.”

Political Standoff and Budget Dispute

Congressional Democrats have declined to support a GOP-supported 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, meaning the standoff is unlikely to be ended before then.

At a media briefing, the GOP leader in the House, the speaker, criticized Senate Democrats for not supporting the Republican bill, which passed in the lower chamber on a near party-line vote.

“This is the last paycheck that government employees will see until Washington Democrats decide to fulfill their duties and end the shutdown,” the speaker said. “Starting next week, military personnel, who often live paycheck to paycheck, are going to miss a full paycheck.”

Judicial and Practical Limits

Last week, labor groups sought a court injunction to prevent the government from carrying out any reductions in force during the funding gap. Additionally, a federal judge ordered the government to disclose details on layoff plans, impacted departments, and if any government staff had been brought back to execute layoffs.

A report argued that a government shutdown restricts the ability of the administration to conduct terminations, referencing guidance that admitted any long-term staff cuts need to have been initiated before the funding expired.

Consequences for Employees

The layoffs took place on the same day that federal workers received only a incomplete payment covering the end of the previous month 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, criticized the political stalemate’s effect on government workers.

“It is wrong to make government staff suffer because our elected officials in the legislature and the White House have not succeeded to keep our federal operations open and operational,” the advocate stated. The flight regulators, VA nurses, smoke jumpers and food inspectors are not responsible for this funding crisis.”

A notable point is that lawmakers and top administration officials are still receiving salaries during the funding gap.