OMB says mass firings began Friday; 4,000+ federal workers getting layoff notices amid shutdown
The Office of Management and Budget said mass firings of federal workers began Friday amid the government shutdown, and a court filing disclosed that more than 4,000 employees across multiple agencies received reduction‑in‑force (RIF) layoff notices, which OMB called "substantial." Agencies including HHS (notably SAMHSA and some CDC staff), Education, Treasury and DHS’s CISA reported notices, unions and Democrats have challenged the moves as illegal, and officials noted RIF procedures generally require 60‑day (or 30‑day with an OPM waiver) notices.
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đź“Ś Key Facts
- OMB Director Russ Vought posted “RIFs have begun,” and an OMB spokesperson said mass firings of federal workers began on Friday and are “substantial,” as the shutdown entered its second week.
- A court filing disclosed that more than 4,000 federal employees across multiple agencies received layoff notices beginning Friday.
- Agencies affected include HHS (employees across multiple divisions received RIF notices; SAMHSA had roughly 100–125 staff notified late Friday and CDC saw cuts with at least some RIFs later rescinded), Education (agency confirmed new cuts after staffing fell from ~4,100 to ~2,500 since Trump took office), Treasury (AFGE’s lawsuit cites about 1,300 Treasury notices), and DHS (announced RIFs at CISA; DHS would not confirm whether ICE or FEMA were cut).
- The RIF process generally requires a minimum 60‑day notice (30 days only with an OPM waiver), includes required notice contents and potential union/Congress notifications; the timing and figures were disclosed in court documents and there was a court-ordered deadline to reveal any planned or in‑progress RIFs.
- The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and its national president Everett Kelley condemned the action as illegal and have filed suit, arguing the administration is unlawfully firing furloughed workers during the shutdown.
- HHS said affected employees were designated non‑essential; agency officials and employees described confusion over the criteria for who was let go, and HHS did not immediately provide full comment on the scope.
- The administration framed the moves as part of broader efforts to cut programs (President Trump said the administration would cut “very popular democrat programs” and warned many jobs “will never come back”), while news reports note the federal workforce is already down about 200,000 employees so far this year.
- Lawmakers and Democrats, including Sen. Patty Murray, signaled legal and political pushback, saying the shutdown does not grant the administration new powers to lay off workers; the White House otherwise declined additional comment.
đź“š Contextual Background
- Furloughed federal employees typically return to work and receive back pay once Congress resolves a government shutdown.
- A continuing resolution (CR) is a short-term funding measure used to keep the federal government open temporarily while Congress completes the appropriations process.
đź“° Sources (9)
Trump slashes mental health agency as shutdown drags on
New information:
- NPR reports more than 100 SAMHSA employees were laid off late Friday (rough estimate around 125 out of ~900 staff).
- Layoff notices at SAMHSA went out shortly before 8 p.m. ET, with employees told of a Reduction in Force.
- CDC also saw staff cuts, and at least some RIFs were subsequently revoked; NPR cites an HHS CHCO Tom Nagy letter rescinding a CDC RIF.
- HHS did not immediately comment; employees describe confusion over criteria for who was let go.
- Context underscores potential impact on SAMHSA’s oversight of the 988 suicide prevention hotline and behavioral‑health grants.
Mass layoffs begin as government shutdown stretches into second week
New information:
- OMB (White House Budget Office) said mass firings of federal workers began on Friday.
- More than 4,000 employees across multiple agencies will receive layoff notices.
- The figures and timing were disclosed in a court filing.
Federal workers start receiving layoff notices amid shutdown
New information:
- CBS News confirms some federal employees received 60-day layoff notices on Friday.
- OMB Director Russ Vought said layoffs are beginning as the shutdown enters Day 10.
These are the agencies Trump is purging during the shutdown
New information:
- HHS confirms employees across multiple divisions have received reduction‑in‑force notices, attributing them to the shutdown.
- DHS says reductions‑in‑force will occur at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, calling it part of 'getting CISA back on mission.'
- Treasury confirms employees were notified of layoffs Friday; AFGE’s lawsuit cites approximately 1,300 Treasury notices.
- AFGE says the administration is 'illegally' firing thousands of furloughed workers during a shutdown and has filed suit.
- White House declined comment; OMB said layoffs are underway and 'substantial.'
- DHS did not say whether ICE or FEMA would face cuts.
Mass federal layoffs begin amid shutdown, White House says
New information:
- Education Department confirms it is among agencies hit by the new layoffs; agency staffing fell from about 4,100 when Trump took office to roughly 2,500 at the start of the shutdown, and additional cuts are now underway.
- HHS says health workers were being fired on Oct. 10, though without specifying numbers or sub‑agencies.
- OMB Director Russ Vought publicly posted that “RIFs have begun,” and an OMB spokesperson called the reductions “substantial.”
- Sen. Patty Murray said the shutdown does not grant the administration new powers to lay off workers, signaling likely legal and political pushback.
- Context update: both chambers are out of town on day 10 of the shutdown; Trump earlier in the week said job cuts could be “substantial” and “a lot of those jobs will never come back.”
White House says 'substantial' layoffs of federal workers have begun, with few details
New information:
- OMB spokesperson told NPR the RIF process is underway and 'substantial,' following Russell Vought’s post that 'The RIFs have begun.'
- HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said HHS employees across multiple divisions have received RIF notices and that those affected were designated non‑essential.
- NPR notes HHS has already reduced about 20,000 workers through a prior RIF and separations, more than were added during the Biden administration.
- Details on RIF procedure: minimum 60-day notice (or 30 days with OPM waiver), potential union/Congress notifications, and required content of notices.
- AFGE National President Everett Kelley criticized the action as illegal and disgraceful.
- Article references a court-ordered deadline the same day for the government to disclose the status of any RIF notices planned or in progress.
"This gets real": GOP escalates shutdown fight with rescissions, layoffs
New information:
- Axios reiterates that the administration has begun mass federal layoffs and places that move alongside GOP plans for additional rescissions and reconciliation bills.
- Contextualizes layoffs with GOP strategy statements and Democratic conditions for any shutdown-ending deal.
Trump officials say "substantial" federal worker layoffs have begun
New information:
- OMB spokesperson told Axios the reductions-in-force are 'substantial.'
- President Trump said the administration will cut 'very popular democrat programs that aren't popular with republicans.'
- Axios reports the federal workforce is already down about 200,000 employees this year.
- Confirmation that OMB did not specify which departments are impacted yet.