October 11, 2025

The drama just got hotter in Washington D.C.! On Friday, October 10, 2025, the White House budget office dropped a bombshell — mass firings of federal workers have officially begun. This bold step is part of President Donald Trump’s plan to crank up the heat on Democratic lawmakers as the government shutdown drags into its 10th day. Russ Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), revealed on the social media site X that the “RIFs have begun.” RIF stands for reduction-in-force, which means cutting down the size of the federal government. These cuts are not small potatoes. A spokesperson said the reductions are “substantial,” although no exact numbers were shared right away. Workers from key federal spots like the Education, Treasury, Homeland Security, and Health and Human Services departments, plus the Environmental Protection Agency, are getting layoff notices, according to agency spokespeople and union leaders. This is a sharp change from normal shutdown procedures where workers usually get furloughed but come back with back pay once the shutdown ends. President Trump was clear about his game plan in the Oval Office that Friday night. He said many federal workers would be losing their jobs, and intriguingly, these firings would target “Democrat-oriented areas.” What does that mean? Trump didn’t spell it out fully but said, “It'll be a lot, and we'll announce the numbers over the next couple of days. But it'll be a lot of people.” He went on, “These are people that the Democrats wanted, that, in many cases, were not appropriate,” adding firmly, “Many of them will be fired.” The Republican reaction was mixed. Senator Susan Collins of Maine blasted OMB Director Vought’s move, calling the shutdown “completely unnecessary” and blaming Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for the mess. Alaska’s Sen. Lisa Murkowski called the timing “poorly timed” and another example of punitive actions against federal workers. Senator Schumer hit back, pointing fingers at Trump. “Let's be blunt: nobody's forcing Trump and Vought to do this,” he stated. “They don't have to do it; they want to. They're callously choosing to hurt people — the workers who protect our country, inspect our food, respond when disasters strike. This is deliberate chaos.” The White House had prepared for this by ordering all federal agencies to submit their own reduction-in-force plans in early October. These plans targeted programs not funded in the shutdown or seen as not matching the President's priorities. Among those hit was the Education Department, where almost all employees below the director level in the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education were being laid off. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), part of Homeland Security, also saw layoffs. CISA often found itself at odds with Trump over its efforts to fight misinformation. The agency’s layoffs were described as “part of getting CISA back on mission.” Health sector employees at the Department of Health and Human Services were also fired, though details remain vague. The Environmental Protection Agency faced layoffs as well, with its spokesperson placing blame on Democrats, urging them to vote to reopen the government. Adding fire to the legal battle, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which represents many federal workers, revealed that the Treasury Department would issue layoff notices to 1,300 employees. The union is suing the Trump administration, calling the firings an abuse of power meant to punish workers and pressure Congress. AFGE President Everett Kelley slammed the move as “disgraceful.” Meanwhile, Capitol Hill was eerily quiet on this 10th day of the shutdown. Both the House and Senate were out of Washington, with little hope of talks ending the fight. Senate Majority Leader John Thune urged Democrats to “get a backbone” as Republicans push for a stopgap bill. But Democrats insisted on strong health care benefits before budging. Top Democrat Patty Murray said, “The shutdown does not give Trump or Vought new, special powers” and warned, “This is nothing new, and no one should be intimidated by these crooks.” With tense words and mounting layoffs, the government shutdown drama continues to simmer — and it remains anyone's guess when this political standoff will cool down.

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Tags: Government shutdown, Federal workers, Mass firings, Trump administration, Congress, Budget office,