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Administration officials disclosed the start of government employee layoffs on the end of the week, following through on earlier warnings in response to the ongoing US government shutdown, which is now poised to stretch into its third consecutive week.

Official Announcement and Early Information

Russell Vought posted on social media that “reductions in force have begun,” referring to the government’s procedure for terminating staff.

While Vought provided no details on which agencies were affected, a treasury spokesperson confirmed that layoff warnings had been distributed within that department. Furthermore, a Department of Homeland Security representative indicated that layoffs would also occur at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Also, a labor organization for federal workers announced that employees at the Department of Education would be impacted by the staff cuts.

Labor Reaction and Court Actions

Union leaders warned that the terminations would have “severe consequences” on services used by millions of Americans and pledged to challenge the actions in court.

This is shameful that the government has used the government shutdown as an excuse to wrongfully terminate numerous employees who deliver essential functions to communities across the country,” stated a national union president, representing the American Federation of Government Employees.

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

Legislative Impasse and Budget Dispute

Lawmakers from the Democratic party have refused to vote for a Republican-backed legislation to restore funding unless it contains healthcare-centered concessions. Following repeated failed attempts, the GOP leadership in the Senate have adjourned the Senate until next Tuesday, indicating the deadlock is not expected to be ended soon.

During a press conference, the Republican House speaker, Mike Johnson, criticized Senate Democrats for not supporting 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 Washington Democrats decide to fulfill their duties and reopen the government,” the speaker stated. “Starting next week, American service members, who often live on tight budgets, are going to miss a full paycheck.”

Judicial and Practical Limits

Last week, labor groups sought a court injunction to block the government from carrying out any layoffs during the shutdown. Moreover, a court official directed the administration to provide specifics on termination strategies, affected agencies, and if any government staff had been recalled to carry out staff reductions.

A report argued that a funding lapse restricts the ability of the government to carry out firings, citing guidance that acknowledged any permanent layoffs need to have been started before the shutdown began.

Impact on Workers

The layoffs occurred on the same day that government employees got only a incomplete payment covering the final days of the previous month but excluding the beginning of the current month, since appropriations lapsed at the start of the month.

A public service advocate, the president of the advocacy group, criticized the political stalemate’s impact on federal employees.

“It is wrong to make government staff suffer because our elected officials in Congress and the White House have not succeeded to keep our federal operations running,” Stier said. “Our flight regulators, VA nurses, wildland firefighters and food inspectors are not at fault for this funding crisis.”

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