Trump admin lays off federal workers
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) director Russell Vought speaks with members of the media outside the White House on Thursday, July 24, 2025 in Washington, DC, USA.
Aaron Schwartz | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Trump administration budget chief says layoffs of federal employees have begun due to ongoing US government shutdown Russell Vought he said in a social media post on Friday.
Vought “RIFs have begun” wrote to xusing the abbreviation “Reductions in Force.”
The Office of Management and Budget, which Vought leads, confirmed that “RIFs have begun and are significant.”
No other details about the layoffs were immediately released.
The announcement comes four days after National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett warned in an interview with CNBC that President Donald Trump “could start taking drastic measures” if the shutdown continues in the absence of a temporary funding deal approved by Congress.
Hassett said Democrats would be responsible for firing “any government employee who loses their job.”
Although many federal employees have been furloughed due to the shutdown, it is not normal practice to permanently lay off government employees during shutdowns.
The American Federation of Government Employees, a union that represents federal employees, quickly responded to Vought’s tweet with “Sued.”
“America’s unions will fight you in court,” the AFL-CIO said in its own tweet.
Since the shutdown began last week, Vought has tweeted about the Trump administration’s decision to freeze and cut off billions of dollars in federal funding for projects in states and cities controlled by Democratic elected officials.
The Trump administration and Republicans in Congress have sought to blame Democrats for the government shutdown and the resulting negative consequences.
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