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Administration officials confirmed the initiation of government employee layoffs on Friday, making good on prior threats in response to the ongoing US government shutdown, which is set to stretch into its third straight week.

Formal Statement and Early Information

Russell Vought wrote on a public platform that “reductions in force have begun,” referring to the government’s process for letting employees go.

While Vought did not specify which departments were affected, a representative from the Treasury Department confirmed that notices had been distributed within that agency. Furthermore, a DHS spokesperson noted that staff reductions would take place at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Also, a union for federal workers announced that employees at the Education Department would be impacted by the staff cuts.

Union Response and Court Actions

Union leaders cautions that the terminations would have “devastating effects” on public services relied upon by the public and vowed to challenge the actions in court.

“It is disgraceful that the administration has used the government shutdown as an excuse to wrongfully terminate thousands of workers who provide critical services to the public across the country,” stated Everett Kelley, who leads the American Federation of Government Employees.

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

Legislative Impasse and Funding Battle

Lawmakers from the Democratic party have declined to support a GOP-supported bill to restore funding unless it contains healthcare-centered concessions. After repeated failed attempts, the GOP leadership in the Senate have adjourned the Senate until the following week, indicating the standoff is unlikely to be ended soon.

At a press conference, the Republican House speaker, the speaker, blasted opposition lawmakers for not supporting the Republican bill, which passed in the House on a largely partisan basis.

“This is the last paycheck that 700,000 federal workers will see until Washington Democrats decide to fulfill their duties and end the shutdown,” the speaker said. Beginning shortly, military personnel, who often live paycheck to paycheck, are going to miss a full paycheck.”

Legal and Operational Constraints

Last week, labor groups sought a court injunction to prevent the administration from carrying out any reductions in force during the shutdown. Additionally, a federal judge ordered the administration to disclose details on termination strategies, impacted departments, and if any government staff had been recalled to carry out staff reductions.

An analysis argued that a funding lapse restricts the authority of the government to conduct terminations, citing guidance that admitted any permanent layoffs need to have been started prior to the funding expired.

Impact on Workers

These terminations took place on the very day that government employees got only a partial paycheck covering the final days of September but not the start of the current month, since funding lapsed at the start of the period.

A public service advocate, the president of the non-profit Partnership for Public Service, condemned the political stalemate’s impact on government workers.

“It is wrong to make federal employees suffer because our leaders in the legislature and the White House have not succeeded to keep our federal operations running,” Stier said. “Our air traffic controllers, VA nurses, wildland firefighters and safety officials are not responsible for this government shutdown.”

A notable point is that members of Congress and senior White House leaders are still receiving salaries during the funding gap.