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The White House confirmed the start of government employee terminations on the end of the week, following through on earlier warnings in response to the continuing federal funding lapse, which is now poised to extend into its third straight week.

Formal Statement and Early Information

Russell Vought posted on social media that “RIFs have begun,” referring to the official procedure for letting employees go.

While the official did not specify which departments were impacted, a treasury spokesperson confirmed that layoff warnings had been distributed within that department. Furthermore, a DHS representative noted that layoffs would also occur at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Also, a labor organization for federal workers confirmed that employees at the Department of Education would be affected by the reduction in force.

Union Response and Legal Challenges

Union leaders warned that the terminations would have “severe consequences” on public services used by millions of Americans and vowed to contest the moves in court.

“It is disgraceful that the government has used the funding lapse as an pretext to wrongfully terminate numerous employees who provide critical services to communities across the country,” said a national union president, who leads the American Federation of Government Employees.

The AFL-CIO responded to the announcement, declaring, “America’s unions will see you in court.”

Political Standoff and Budget Dispute

Lawmakers from the Democratic party have refused to vote for a Republican-backed legislation to reopen the government unless it contains healthcare-centered concessions. After repeated failed attempts, the GOP leadership in the Senate have adjourned the Senate until next Tuesday, meaning the standoff is not expected to be resolved before then.

At a media briefing, the GOP leader in the House, Mike Johnson, criticized opposition lawmakers for rejecting the GOP proposal, which was approved in the House on a largely partisan basis.

Federal workers’ final pay that government employees will see until Washington Democrats decide to do their job and end the shutdown,” the speaker said. “Starting next week, military personnel, who often live on tight budgets, are going to miss a full paycheck.”

Judicial and Practical Limits

Last week, unions sought a court injunction to prevent the government from carrying out any layoffs during the funding gap. Additionally, a court official ordered the administration to disclose details on layoff plans, affected agencies, and whether any federal employees had been brought back to execute layoffs.

A report contended that a government shutdown limits the authority of the government to carry out firings, citing guidance that acknowledged any permanent layoffs need to have been started prior to the funding expired.

Consequences for Employees

These terminations occurred on the same day that government employees got only a partial paycheck for the end of the previous month but excluding the beginning of the current month, since appropriations lapsed at the beginning of the period.

Max Stier, the president of the non-profit Partnership for Public Service, criticized the political stalemate’s effect on government workers.

“It is wrong to make government staff bear the burden because our leaders in Congress and the White House have failed 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 lawmakers and senior White House leaders are still receiving salaries amid the shutdown.