The Trump administration began implementing widespread layoffs of federal workers Friday as the government shutdown entered its tenth day, following through on President Trump’s repeated warnings that he would use the closure to trim parts of the federal workforce.
“The RIFs have begun,” White House budget director Russell Vought wrote on X, referring to the government’s “reductions in force.”
According to a late-night filing in a California federal court, seven agencies — including Commerce, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services (HHS), Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Homeland Security, and Treasury — have already issued official RIF notices to more than 4,100 federal employees. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also warned roughly two dozen staffers that they may face future layoffs. Additional agencies are reportedly considering similar moves as the shutdown continues.
President Trump confirmed the action to reporters in the Oval Office, calling the layoffs “deliberate” and politically targeted. “It’ll be Democrat-oriented because we figure, you know, they started this thing,” Trump said. “So they should be Democrat-oriented. It’ll be a lot.”
Sources inside multiple agencies said the layoffs have primarily affected offices that champion programs out of sync with Trump’s priorities — including family and community policy initiatives at HHS, housing equity offices within HUD, and a Department of Education division focused on K-12 academic achievement.
Under federal rules, affected employees will receive at least 30 to 60 days’ notice before dismissals take effect.
Before the shutdown began, Vought warned agencies to prepare for mass dismissals that could reach into the hundreds of thousands, though early estimates now suggest the total will likely remain below 16,000.
A federal judge in California ordered the administration to provide detailed updates on any ongoing or planned RIFs by Friday, including the earliest expected layoff dates. Shortly before Vought’s announcement, government lawyers submitted that information, triggering a new emergency motion from union attorneys seeking to halt the dismissals.
At HHS, the layoffs reportedly target positions added during the pandemic response. Spokesman Andrew Nixon defended the cuts, saying, “All HHS employees receiving reduction-in-force notices were designated non-essential by their respective divisions. HHS continues to close wasteful and duplicative entities, including those at odds with the Trump administration’s Make America Healthy Again agenda.”
The Department of Education also notified employees that a reduction in force would take effect in 60 days, leaving many uncertain whether the cuts could be reversed after the shutdown ends. “I feel like they’re going to rethink this and call us back in,” one staffer said.
Although Trump initially promised to fire large numbers of federal employees, recent months have seen a more measured approach, with thousands leaving voluntarily through buyouts or retirement programs. Some agencies, such as Veterans Affairs, even reversed planned cuts due to unexpectedly high attrition.
Still, Trump’s allies insist the layoffs are necessary to streamline government operations. Vice President JD Vance and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt both signaled support for the reductions, describing them as the first step in “restoring accountability” to Washington.
Whether the courts will allow Trump’s mass layoffs to proceed remains to be seen. What is clear is that the president is moving aggressively to reshape the federal government — even amid one of the longest shutdowns in modern history.
“This is about more than a budget,” a senior White House aide said. “It’s about taking back control of the bureaucracy and putting the American people first.”
