The alarm bells are ringing loud and clear: the White House has confirmed that a substantial number of federal workers are being let go, a drastic measure aimed at ramping up pressure on Democratic lawmakers as the government shutdown drags on.
But here's where it gets controversial: the Office of Management and Budget, led by Russ Vought, has announced that 'RIFs have begun,' referring to reduction-in-force plans designed to downsize the federal government. A spokesperson for the budget office described the reductions as 'substantial,' although details were scarce.
The Education Department is among the agencies hit hard by the new layoffs, with a spokesperson confirming the news on Friday. To put this into perspective, the department had around 4,100 employees when President Trump took office in January 2017. However, its workforce was nearly halved in the early months of the Trump administration, leaving about 2,500 employees at the start of the shutdown.
And this is the part most people miss: the White House had signaled its intention to pursue aggressive layoffs just before the government shutdown began on October 1. All federal agencies were instructed to submit their reduction-in-force plans to the budget office for review. These plans could apply to federal programs whose funding would lapse during a government shutdown, are otherwise not funded, and do not align with the President's priorities.
This move goes far beyond the usual protocol in a government shutdown, where federal workers are typically furloughed but reinstated once the shutdown ends. Democrats have questioned the legality of the firings, and it seems their skepticism was warranted, given the White House's reluctance to carry out the layoffs until now.
But President Donald Trump had hinted earlier in the week that more information about the scope of the job eliminations would be forthcoming. 'I'll be able to tell you that in four or five days if this keeps going on,' he said during a meeting with Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney. 'If this keeps going on, it'll be substantial, and a lot of those jobs will never come back.'
As the shutdown enters its 10th day, the halls of Congress remain eerily quiet, with both the House and Senate out of session. Senate Republicans have made repeated attempts to persuade Democratic holdouts to vote for a stopgap bill to reopen the government, but Democrats remain resolute in their demand for a firm commitment to extend healthcare benefits.
But can the Trump administration really follow through on its threat to eliminate thousands of federal jobs? And what are the long-term implications for the country's workforce and economy? We want to hear from you: do you think the administration's tactics will pay off, or are they a recipe for disaster? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader John Thune continues to try to sway centrist Democrats who may be willing to cross party lines as the shutdown pain drags on. 'It's time for them to get a backbone,' Thune, a South Dakota Republican, said during a news conference. The question is, will it be enough to break the impasse?
