US: White House Starts Mass Layoffs Amid Shutdown Impasse

The White House announced on Friday starting the process of laying off federal workers en masse, as the Trump administration pressures the Democrats to end a government shutdown in place since October 1.

Trump's budget chief Russ Vought confirmed the start of the firing process on X, telling the media the layoffs would be "substantial."

"RIFs have begun," Vought wrote on X, referring to reduction-in-force plans aimed at reducing the size of the federal government.

What do we know about the White House's layoff plans?

Out of some 750,000 public servants placed on enforced leaves, it remains unclear how many will be laid off, and from which departments.

But earlier this week, US President Donald Trump said he was meeting Vought to decide which agencies "he recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent."

Democratic leaders including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House counterpart Hakeem Jeffries have tried to call the president's bluff, stressing that mass layoffs would be illegal.

An Education Department spokesperson was cited by the Associated Press news agency as saying his agency will be among those hit by the layoffs. The Reuters news agency also said the department confirmed the layoffs but did not elaborate.

When Trump returned to the White House in January, the department had some 4,100 employees. But it has been among the hardest hit by the president's layoff policies, with its staff almost halved to 2,500 employees at the start of the shutdown.

Why is there an impasse over the government shutdown?

The federal government shutdown came after a September 30 deadline to approve a budget expired. Senate Democrats have repeatedly blocked a Republican resolution to reopen federal agencies, insisting on firm commitments to extend health care benefits.

The White House was quick to announce its intention to pursue aggressive layoffs, calling on all federal agencies to provide their reduction-in-force plans to the budget office.

This far exceeds measures historically taken during previous government shutdowns, when federal workers were furloughed but later restored once the shutdowns ended.

Even public servants whose jobs are not at risk are still going without pay amid the impasse, which has thus far shown no signs of easing.

Edited by: Saim Dušan Inayatullah

Source: DW