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The White House disclosed the start of government employee terminations on Friday, following through on earlier warnings in response to the continuing US government shutdown, which is now poised to stretch into its third consecutive week.

Official Announcement and Initial Details

The director of the White House budget office wrote on a public platform that “RIFs have begun,” indicating the official process for letting employees go.

While the official did not specify which departments were impacted, a representative from the Treasury Department confirmed that notices had been distributed within that department. Furthermore, a Department of Homeland Security representative indicated that staff reductions would take place at the CISA. Also, a labor organization for federal workers confirmed that employees at the Education Department would be impacted by the staff cuts.

Labor Reaction and Legal Challenges

Union leaders cautions that the terminations would have “severe consequences” on services relied upon by the public and pledged to challenge the actions in court.

This is shameful that the government has exploited the funding lapse as an pretext to wrongfully terminate numerous employees who provide essential functions to communities across the country,” said a national union president, representing the AFGE.

The largest labor federation in the US responded to the announcement, declaring, “Labor organizations will see you in court.”

Political Standoff and Budget Dispute

Congressional Democrats have refused to vote for a GOP-supported legislation to restore funding unless it includes provisions related to health policy. After multiple unsuccessful votes, the Senate’s Republican leaders have put the chamber in recess until next Tuesday, meaning the standoff is unlikely to be ended soon.

At a press conference, the GOP leader in the House, Mike Johnson, criticized opposition lawmakers for not supporting the GOP bill, which passed in the lower chamber on a largely partisan basis.

Federal workers’ final pay that 700,000 federal workers will see until opposition leaders decide to fulfill their duties and reopen the government,” Johnson said. “Starting next week, military personnel, who often live paycheck to paycheck, are going to miss a full paycheck.”

Legal and Operational Constraints

Last week, unions filed for a temporary restraining order to prevent the administration from implementing any reductions in force during the shutdown. Additionally, a court official directed the administration to provide specifics on termination strategies, impacted departments, and if any government staff had been brought back to execute staff reductions.

A report contended that a funding lapse restricts the authority of the government to carry out firings, referencing guidance that admitted any permanent layoffs need to have been initiated prior to the shutdown began.

Impact on Workers

These terminations took place on the same day that federal workers received only a partial paycheck covering the final days of the previous month but not the start of the current month, since appropriations lapsed at the start of the period.

A public service advocate, the president of the non-profit Partnership for Public Service, criticized the gridlock’s impact on federal employees.

“It is wrong to make federal employees suffer because our elected officials in the legislature and the administration have failed to keep our federal operations running,” Stier said. “Our flight regulators, veterans’ healthcare providers, wildland firefighters and safety officials are not at fault for this funding crisis.”

A notable point is that members of Congress and top administration officials are continuing to be paid during the funding gap.