WASHINGTON – The Trump administration announced Friday that it has initiated “substantial” layoffs of federal workers as the government remains shut down due to Congress’ inability to reach a funding deal.
“RIFs have begun,” White House budget director Russ Vought said in X, referring to the “retrenchment” for workers.
While not providing details, a spokesperson for the White House Office of Management and Budget confirmed to NBC News that layoffs have begun and said they will be “substantial.”
Affected agencies include the departments of the Interior, Homeland Security, Treasury, Education, Energy, Housing and Urban Development, and Health and Human Services, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency, according to an administration official.
Democrats responded by saying that a shutdown does not require President Donald Trump to fire workers or give him new powers to do so, arguing that the White House is being vindictive.
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Before the shutdown, which began Oct. 1, the OMB threatened mass layoffs of federal workers, going beyond the temporary furloughs that typically occur during a shutdown.
The White House move defies the wishes of Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee that oversees government funding.
“I’ve made it very clear that I don’t think there should be layoffs of laid-off workers,” Collins told reporters Wednesday.
And it drew strong pushback Friday from Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee.
“Once again, when President Trump and his self-proclaimed ‘reaper’ decide to ignore the pleas of Congressional Republicans and carry out more mass layoffs, they are choosing to inflict more pain on the American people,” Murray said in a statement. “No one is forcing Trump and Vought to harm American workers; they just want to.”
“A shutdown does not give Trump or Vought new special powers to cause more chaos or permanently weaken more basic services for the American people, and the simple fact is that this administration has been recklessly firing and rehiring essential workers all year,” he added. “This is nothing new and no one should be intimidated by these criminals.”
Vought’s announcement came a day after the Senate failed for the seventh time to pass either the Republican bill to temporarily keep the government open or the Democratic alternative that includes additional funding for health care.
