White House lays off thousands of US govt workers amid shutdown, Trump blames Democrats
Layoffs were confirmed at the Treasury Department, the U.S. health agency, the Internal Revenue Service, and the departments of education, commerce, and Homeland Security’s cybersecurity division, officials said
- Oct 11, 2025,
- Updated Oct 11, 2025 7:42 AM IST
President Donald Trump on Friday blamed Democrats for his decision to lay off thousands of federal employees, as his administration began carrying out sweeping job cuts across multiple government agencies during the ongoing shutdown.
Layoffs were confirmed at the Treasury Department, the U.S. health agency, the Internal Revenue Service, and the departments of education, commerce, and Homeland Security’s cybersecurity division, officials said. The total number of affected workers remains unclear, but roughly 300,000 federal civilian employees had already been slated to leave their jobs this year as part of a downsizing drive launched by Trump earlier in 2025.
“They started this thing,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, calling the job cuts “Democrat-oriented.” He said Democrats were responsible for the standoff, which entered its tenth day on Friday.
The government has been shut down as Democrats push for an extension of health insurance subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, arguing that ending them would sharply raise costs for 24 million Americans. Republicans hold majorities in both chambers of Congress but require Democratic support in the Senate to pass any funding measure.
Trump has repeatedly warned that his administration would reduce the size of government if the deadlock continued. He also froze at least $28 billion in infrastructure funds for New York, California, and Illinois — states with large Democratic voter bases.
According to a Justice Department filing, more than 4,200 federal employees have received layoff notices at seven agencies, including over 1,400 at the Treasury Department and at least 1,100 at the Department of Health and Human Services.
Democrats, however, vowed not to yield. “Until Republicans get serious, they own this — every job lost, every family hurt, every service gutted is because of their decisions,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said.
Labor unions representing federal workers have filed lawsuits to block the layoffs, arguing they are illegal during a shutdown. The administration countered in court that unions lack the legal authority to challenge personnel decisions. A federal judge is scheduled to hear the case on October 15.
Meanwhile, White House budget director Russell Vought confirmed that “the RIFs had begun,” referring to “reductions in force.” Many affected federal employees received reduced paychecks this week that excluded pay for the shutdown period.
Among those hit hardest are the 78,000 workers at the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees disease monitoring and medical research. About 41% of its staff have been furloughed. Similar cuts were reported at the Treasury, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Department of Education, which Trump has vowed to shut down entirely.
The Department of Homeland Security also confirmed layoffs at its Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, whose former director angered Trump in 2020 by stating there was no evidence of election fraud.
Some Republicans expressed concern over the scale of the layoffs. Senator Susan Collins, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, said, “Regardless of whether federal employees have been working without pay or have been furloughed, their work is incredibly important to serving the public.”
With thousands facing job losses and pay delays, the shutdown’s economic and political fallout continues to deepen — even as the standoff shows little sign of resolution.
(With inputs from Reuters)
President Donald Trump on Friday blamed Democrats for his decision to lay off thousands of federal employees, as his administration began carrying out sweeping job cuts across multiple government agencies during the ongoing shutdown.
Layoffs were confirmed at the Treasury Department, the U.S. health agency, the Internal Revenue Service, and the departments of education, commerce, and Homeland Security’s cybersecurity division, officials said. The total number of affected workers remains unclear, but roughly 300,000 federal civilian employees had already been slated to leave their jobs this year as part of a downsizing drive launched by Trump earlier in 2025.
“They started this thing,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, calling the job cuts “Democrat-oriented.” He said Democrats were responsible for the standoff, which entered its tenth day on Friday.
The government has been shut down as Democrats push for an extension of health insurance subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, arguing that ending them would sharply raise costs for 24 million Americans. Republicans hold majorities in both chambers of Congress but require Democratic support in the Senate to pass any funding measure.
Trump has repeatedly warned that his administration would reduce the size of government if the deadlock continued. He also froze at least $28 billion in infrastructure funds for New York, California, and Illinois — states with large Democratic voter bases.
According to a Justice Department filing, more than 4,200 federal employees have received layoff notices at seven agencies, including over 1,400 at the Treasury Department and at least 1,100 at the Department of Health and Human Services.
Democrats, however, vowed not to yield. “Until Republicans get serious, they own this — every job lost, every family hurt, every service gutted is because of their decisions,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said.
Labor unions representing federal workers have filed lawsuits to block the layoffs, arguing they are illegal during a shutdown. The administration countered in court that unions lack the legal authority to challenge personnel decisions. A federal judge is scheduled to hear the case on October 15.
Meanwhile, White House budget director Russell Vought confirmed that “the RIFs had begun,” referring to “reductions in force.” Many affected federal employees received reduced paychecks this week that excluded pay for the shutdown period.
Among those hit hardest are the 78,000 workers at the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees disease monitoring and medical research. About 41% of its staff have been furloughed. Similar cuts were reported at the Treasury, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Department of Education, which Trump has vowed to shut down entirely.
The Department of Homeland Security also confirmed layoffs at its Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, whose former director angered Trump in 2020 by stating there was no evidence of election fraud.
Some Republicans expressed concern over the scale of the layoffs. Senator Susan Collins, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, said, “Regardless of whether federal employees have been working without pay or have been furloughed, their work is incredibly important to serving the public.”
With thousands facing job losses and pay delays, the shutdown’s economic and political fallout continues to deepen — even as the standoff shows little sign of resolution.
(With inputs from Reuters)