OMB says mass firings began Friday; 4,000+ federal workers getting layoff notices amid shutdown
The White House Office of Management and Budget said reductions‑in‑force began Friday as the government shutdown stretched into its second week, calling them "substantial" and filing court paperwork saying well over 4,000 federal employees across multiple agencies received layoff notices. Reported impacts include 466 Education Department cuts (largely in special education offices), HHS components such as the CDC and SAMHSA (with roughly 600 CDC and about 125 SAMHSA notices reported, some later rescinded), Treasury and DHS/CISA among others, and unions and Democratic lawmakers have denounced the moves as unlawful and sought legal relief amid procedural confusion.
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📌 Key Facts
- OMB Director Russ Vought publicly posted “RIFs have begun,” and an OMB spokesperson told multiple outlets the reductions‑in‑force that began on Friday are “substantial.”
- An OMB court filing and administration disclosures say well over 4,000 federal employees will receive layoff notices tied to the shutdown; Axios also notes the federal workforce has already fallen by about 200,000 this year.
- Layoff notices span multiple agencies — including HHS (notably SAMHSA and CDC), the Education Department (OSERS and offices overseeing grants and civil‑rights enforcement), Treasury (roughly 1,300 notices cited in union filings), DHS (reductions at CISA), and at least seven agencies overall — and have forced Smithsonian museums, research centers and the National Zoo to close for lack of funding.
- At CDC roughly 1,300 termination notices were issued, more than half were later rescinded leaving about 600 employees out of work; HHS said some of the incorrect notices resulted from a 'coding error' and a department CHCO letter rescinded certain CDC RIFs.
- HHS notified more than 100 SAMHSA employees (estimated ~125) of late‑Friday RIFs, raising concerns about oversight of the 988 suicide‑prevention hotline and behavioral‑health grants.
- The Education Department began laying off 466 employees (nearly 20% of the agency); virtually all staff in OSERS were cut except a few top officials, employees told they remain on payroll until Dec. 9, and advocates warn the moves threaten implementation of ~$15 billion in IDEA funding and services for 7.5 million students with disabilities.
- Unions (AFGE, AFSCME) and Democratic lawmakers called the firings unlawful, filed emergency litigation (AFGE’s suit cites ~1,300 Treasury notices), and court hearings were scheduled; Sen. Patty Murray and others say the administration lacks authority to conduct such RIFs during a shutdown.
- Analyses and officials have flagged the broader scale and cost of the shutdown: a CBO estimate cited ~750,000 furloughed workers and potential back‑pay costs up to $400 million per day, and administration officials warned deeper, 'painful' cuts will come the longer the shutdown continues.
- Administration officials including Vice President J.D. Vance defended the legal authority for RIFs, said some notices were adjusted or rescinded amid 'inevitable' chaos, and said the White House is reallocating funds to preserve essential services (noting steps to ensure military pay and some low‑income assistance); President Trump said the administration will cut what he called 'very popular Democrat programs.'
📚 Contextual Background
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is the federal agency responsible for apprehending and detaining people suspected of being undocumented immigrants in the United States.
📰 Sources (16)
Democrats threaten to sue Trump team over 'illegal' firings as shutdown battle escalates
New information:
- Democratic lawmakers from Maryland and Virginia publicly threatened to sue the administration over 'illegal' RIFs and back-pay threats.
- Rob Shriver (Democracy Forward) said an emergency motion to halt the RIFs was filed immediately after Russ Vought’s post, with a court hearing scheduled for the next day.
- Sen. Chris Van Hollen called the firings during the shutdown 'illegal' and vowed to 'see them in court.'
- CBO estimate cited: ~750,000 furloughed workers and potential back-pay costs up to $400 million per day.
Layoffs across 7 federal agencies as government shutdown reaches Day 13
New information:
- CBS reports the layoff notices span seven federal agencies.
- Confirms the shutdown has reached Day 13 while layoffs continue.
Education Department layoffs hit offices that oversee special education and civil rights enforcement
New information:
- Education Department began laying off 466 employees Friday, nearly a fifth of the agency.
- Union says the IDEA implementation office is being nearly entirely laid off except for a small number of top officials; additional cuts hit the Office for Civil Rights.
- Teams overseeing Title I, 21st Century Community Learning Centers, TRIO, and HBCU funding are being eliminated or heavily depleted.
- Education Department headcount would drop below 2,000, down by more than half since Jan. 20, 2025; earlier March layoffs were partially reversed.
- Article notes ED’s broader plan to shift adult education/workforce programs to Labor and negotiate transfer of the $1.6T student-loan portfolio to Treasury.
- Education groups publicly warn of disruption; Afterschool Alliance calls firing of the 21st CCLC federal team 'shocking' and 'devastating'.
Amid shutdown, Trump administration guts department overseeing special education
New information:
- NPR reports 466 layoffs at the Education Department and says, per multiple department sources, virtually all staff in OSERS (including OSEP and RSA) were cut except a handful of top officials and support staff.
- AFGE Local 252’s president alleges the OSERS firings were illegal and warns of harm to 7.5 million students with disabilities.
- Employees who received RIF notices were told they remain on payroll until Dec. 9.
- Article underscores that OSERS oversees roughly $15 billion in IDEA funding and state compliance monitoring.
CDC purge hits 600 workers in key offices despite reversals
New information:
- About 600 CDC employees across key offices (NCHS, NCIPC, CDC’s Washington office, NHANES, HR/ethics) are out of work following the late‑Friday RIF.
- More than half of roughly 1,300 CDC termination notices were rescinded over the weekend, including for the Epidemic Intelligence Service and the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report staff.
- Named reversals include Athalia Christie (measles response incident commander) and senior infectious‑disease expert Maureen Bartee.
- A source said the CDC’s Injury Center lost 132 staff across operations, science, and policy teams.
- HHS said employees who received incorrect notices were never separated and have been notified; an official attributed erroneous notices to a 'coding error.'
- AFGE and AFSCME condemned the firings as unlawful and accused the administration of using the civil service as leverage in the shutdown.
On 12th day of shutdown, Vance warns new ‘painful’ cuts ahead
New information:
- Vice President JD Vance warned on Oct. 12 that deeper, "painful" cuts to the federal workforce are coming the longer the shutdown lasts.
- Vance said the administration worked to ensure military pay this week and to preserve some low‑income services, including food assistance.
- PBS/AP reiterates OMB’s court filing that well over 4,000 federal employees will be fired in conjunction with the shutdown and notes additional operational impact: Smithsonian museums, research centers, and the National Zoo are now closed for lack of funding.
- On-camera statements from House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries underscore continued negotiating stalemate.
Vance accuses Democrats of "hostage-taking" with government shutdown posture
New information:
- Vice President JD Vance labeled Democrats’ shutdown stance as “hostage-taking” and rejected negotiations before reopening.
- Vance defended the administration’s legal authority for RIFs during the shutdown and said some were adjusted or rescinded amid “inevitable” chaos.
- He said the administration is reallocating funds to keep essential services operating and blamed Democrats for the disruption.
- Vance criticized expiring ACA premium tax credits as prone to waste/fraud but said the White House is willing to negotiate health policy after the government reopens.
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.