Mass layoffs have officially started, as the White House confirmed federal employees will soon face pink slips. The shutdown has now entered Day 10, and neither side shows signs of compromise, making next week look equally bleak.
Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, casually announced the “reductions in force” on X, confirming the dreaded mass layoffs. President Donald Trump has repeatedly hinted at slashing government jobs since the shutdown began, adding a theatrical flair to bureaucratic chaos.
The RIFs have begun.
— Russ Vought (@russvought) October 10, 2025
The Senate adjourned for the weekend, leaving citizens and federal workers in suspense. A Republican-backed bill to fund the government through November 21 failed last Thursday. Meanwhile, the administration’s mass layoffs ripple across key departments, including Education, Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, and Treasury.
DHS confirmed cuts will affect the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, responsible for protecting the nation’s IT infrastructure. HHS said multiple divisions, including the CDC and FDA, have received reduction notices. Treasury officials acknowledged notices went out, with roughly 1,300 employees reportedly affected.
Critics have not held back. Max Stier, CEO of the Partnership for Public Service, called the mass layoffs “unnecessary and misguided,” condemning the use of civil servants as political pawns. He warned the reductions further drain government expertise, already weakened by prior workforce cuts of over 200,000 employees.
Legal pushback is mounting. Unions argue that mass layoffs during a shutdown violate protections, accusing the administration of leveraging public employees for political theater. Meanwhile, White House officials insist the layoffs are necessary to fund essential services—an explanation met with widespread eye-rolling.
As Trump plans a Middle East trip to celebrate a peace deal, the American public watches the bureaucratic drama unfold, wondering how many departments can function with fewer hands on deck. In the end, mass layoffs serve as a grim reminder that government shutdowns, politics, and theatre can collide spectacularly.
