Federal Layoffs Begin Amid Government Shutdown

The Trump administration has started laying off federal workers amid the ongoing government shutdown. "The RIFs have begun," White House budget director Russell Vought wrote on the X platform, referring to "reduction-in-force" notices that must be sent to federal employees being dismissed, reports CNBC News. It was not immediately clear how many people would lose their jobs, but the Washington Post quotes an anonymous White House official saying the number would be "substantial." Vought's post did not specify which agencies would be affected, per the New York Times.

Legal challenges are already underway—federal unions sued late last month over the threat of such layoffs. President Trump has been among those threatening to make cuts amid the shutdown at what he has characterized as Democratic agencies. The Post notes that Vought laid the groundwork for such dismissals when he helped draft Project 2025—a blueprint aimed at dramatically curtailing federal bureaucracy in a second Trump term.