White House begins federal workforce layoffs as shutdown enters second week
Caroline MolloyAs the government shutdown continued into its second week, the White House confirmed Oct. 10 that it has begun a sweeping downsizing of the federal workforce.
“The RIFs have begun,” White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought wrote on X, using the abbreviation for “reductions in force.”
Vought did not specify which agencies or how many employees will be affected, but an OMB official told FOX News Digital that the layoffs would be “substantial.” Unlike furloughs, reductions are permanent.
According to NBC News, the departments of Interior, Homeland Security, Treasury, Education, Energy, Housing and Urban Development and Health and Human Services are among those impacted. The Environmental Protection Agency is also affected.
Federal law requires at least 60 days’ notice before layoffs take effect, though the Office of Personnel Management can issue a waiver reducing the period to 30 days, NPR reported.
The Trump administration has warned for days that workforce cuts could follow if the shutdown persisted.
The White House has blamed Democrats for the impasse, saying layoffs are needed to meet budget constraints. At an Oct. 6 press conference, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the “conversation about layoffs would not be happening right now if the Democrats did not vote to shut the government down.”
“We are $37 trillion in debt and the government is not receiving any cash, so someone has to look at the balance sheet and be good stewards of the American taxpayer dollar,” Leavitt added. “And layoffs are an unfortunate consequence of that.”
