A top White House official has announced the beginning of federal layoffs as the government shutdown turns 10 days old. Earlier this week, President Trump warned that he would lay off federal workers and enact permanent funding cuts to Democratic programs if discussions to reopen the government remained stalled.
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“The RIFs have begun,” said Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought in an X post, referring to “reductions in force.”
Federal Layoffs Hit HHS and Education Department
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) spokesperson Andrew Nixon said that some HHS employees received RIF notices on Friday. Nixon added that the layoffs will affect programs “at odds with the Trump administration’s Make America Healthy Again agenda.” In addition, an Education Department spokesperson said that the agency was on the list to receive notices.
Previous government shutdowns have resulted in furloughs instead of permanent layoffs, making the permanent layoffs the first of their kind. The news comes amid an already shaky labor market, partly driven by federal reductions led by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
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