President Donald Trump‘s administration announced Friday afternoon that the long-threatened reduction-in-force notices to furloughed federal workers, in response to the government shutdown, have started.
“The RIFs have begun,” White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought posted on X.
An OMB spokesperson also confirmed to the Washington Examiner that the notices have started and claimed they “are substantial.”
The official did not give an approximate number of workers who will lose their jobs or say which agencies will be most affected by the layoffs. Roughly 750,000 federal workers are currently furloughed.
A top administration official said the layoffs are not in every department and agency.
“It will be a lot of people,” Trump said Friday when asked how many layoffs Vought authorized, adding the reductions in force will be “Democrat orientated.”
TRUMP’S SHUTDOWN WORKFORCE THREATS COULD BACKFIRE
“It is deeply unfortunate that thousands of people will be laid off as a result of the Democrat shutdown,” a top White House official also told the Washington Examiner, reflecting the Trump administration’s stance that Democrats are to blame for the layoffs.
Democrats and labor unions slammed the Trump administration immediately after the layoffs were announced.
“That is illegal, that is unconstitutional, he is out of control, Russ Vought, he is out of control,” Rep. Mike Levin (D-CA), a former lawyer, told reporters Friday on the announcement.
The American Federation of Government Employees, a labor union that represents 800,000 federal workers, claimed a “lawsuit has been filed” against the RIF notices.
“It is disgraceful that the Trump administration has used the government shutdown as an excuse to illegally fire thousands of workers who provide critical services to communities across the country,” Everett Kelley, the group’s president, said in a statement.
“We will not stop fighting until every reduction-in-force notice is rescinded,” Kelley said.
Earlier this week, OMB general counsel Mark Paoletta suggested in a memo to Vought that the federal government is under no obligation to pay furloughed federal employees retroactively under federal law.
Trump addressed the issue during a bilateral meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday.
“The Democrats have put a lot of people in great risk and jeopardy, but it really depends on who you’re talking about. But for the most part, we’re going to take care of our people,” he answered in response to a question about furloughed federal workers deserving back pay. “There are some people that really don’t deserve to be taken care of, and we’ll take care of them in a different way.”
The president also met with Vought last week to discuss which federal agencies would be cut during the government shutdown.
TRUMP TO MEET WITH VOUGHT ‘OF PROJECT 2025 FAME’ TO DETERMINE WHICH AGENCIES TO CUT
“I have a meeting today with Russ Vought, he of PROJECT 2025 Fame, to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent,” Trump posted on Truth Social, referencing Vought’s ties to Project 2025.
The layoffs and threats to slash back pay are part of Trump and Republican leadership’s efforts to pressure Democrats to pass a “clean” continuing resolution to reopen the government.
However, lawmakers on Capitol Hill appear unwilling to find a solution that will reopen the government anytime soon, even as the shutdown approaches a second week.
Lauren Green contributed to this report.
