Politics
Trump Administration Begins Mass Federal Layoffs
By Jake Beardslee · October 12, 2025
Thousands of Federal Workers Face Termination
The federal government began a sweeping series of layoffs on Friday, affecting thousands of employees across multiple agencies amid the ongoing government shutdown. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) confirmed that about 4,200 federal workers received layoff notices, according to court documents filed in response to a lawsuit by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which represents roughly 800,000 workers nationwide. The White House / Wikimedia
Treasury and Health Departments Among Most Affected
The Treasury Department has seen the largest share of cuts so far, with approximately 1,500 employees laid off—including 1,300 from the Internal Revenue Service—Bloomberg reported. The Department of Health and Human Services was also heavily impacted, losing up to 1,200 staff members.Dozens of employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were also notified, including around 70 Epidemic Intelligence Service officers—often referred to as “disease detectives”—and several contributors to the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, according to The New York Times. U.S. Government / Wikimedia
Other Agencies See Significant Cuts
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed 176 layoffs, all from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, PBS reported. Other agencies hit include the Department of Education (446 layoffs), Housing and Urban Development (442), Commerce (315), Energy (187), and the Environmental Protection Agency, which reported between 20 and 30 affected employees. DHS / Wikimedia
White House Confirms Layoffs as Legal Fight Escalates
White House budget chief Russ Vought announced on X that “the RIFs [reductions in force] have begun,” triggering immediate backlash from labor unions. The AFGE filed an emergency motion to block the move, arguing that OMB lacks the legal authority to conduct layoffs during a shutdown. The union cited the Antideficiency Act, which bars the federal government from incurring new expenses—including severance payments—while funding has lapsed. Mathieu Landretti, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Layoffs to Take Effect Within Two Months
According to federal guidance obtained by The Washington Post, the layoffs will not take effect for 30 to 60 days. The government has been closed since October 1, after lawmakers failed to reach an agreement on spending legislation. The next Senate vote is scheduled for Tuesday, though little progress toward reopening the government has been reported. Michael Judkins / Pexels