More than 4,000 Federal Employees received Layoff Notices Friday, as part of the Trump (R) Administration’s broad effort to Reshape the Government, while it remains Shutdown, according to a Court Filing Friday. The Filing provides Greater Insight into an Announcement from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought (R), earlier in the day, that the Administration had begun Government-Wide Reductions in Force (RIF), that had been Anticipated since Federal Funding lapsed on October 1st.
As of Friday Evening, RIF Notices had gone out to Employees at the Departments: Commerce, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services (HHS), Housing and Urban Development, Homeland Security, and Treasury. Treasury and HHS saw the Highest Number of Reductions, with more than 1,000 Workers Laid-Off at each Department, according to the Filing in a Lawsuit brought by Two Federal Rmployee Unions seeking to Stop the Layoffs.
Also, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which is Part of the Commerce Department, issued Lapse-Telated RIF Notices to Employees last week, according to the Filing. And the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sent “Intent to RIF” Notices to 20 to 30 Employees, though it hasn’t made a Final Decision on whether or when it would Lay Off those Workers. Other Agencies are “actively considering” whether to Conduct additional RIFs related to the Shutdown, the Filing said.
Trump said late Friday afternoon, that He Plans to Fire “A Lot” of Federal Workers in Retaliation for the Government Shutdown, Vowing to Target those deemed to be aligned with the Democratic Party. “We figure they started this thing, so they should be Democrat-oriented,” Trump said, placing Blame for the Shutdown on Democratic Lawmakers. Congressional Republicans and the White House, have in recent days raised the Threat of Mass Job Cuts as they’ve looked to Maximize Pressure on Democrats to Supply the Votes needed to Break a Logjam in the Senate and Reopen the Government. But a Week into the Government Shutdown, both Parties on Capitol Hill have remained Entrenched in their Positions on what is needed to Strike a Funding Deal by the End of November.
“Once again: if President Trump & Russ Vought decide to do more mass firings, they are CHOOSING to inflict more pain on people. ‘Reductions in force’ are not a new power these bozos get in a shutdown,” Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), the Top Democratic Appropriator in the Senate, wrote on X. “We can’t be intimidated by these crooks.”
Senate Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) also Argued that “nobody’s forcing Trump and Vought to do this. They don’t have to do it; they want to,” calling the Layoffs “deliberate chaos.” Several Agencies said they had started Conducting the Reductions. “HHS employees across multiple divisions have received reduction-in-force notices as a direct consequence of the Democrat-led government shutdown,” an Agency Spokesperson said. “All HHS employees receiving reduction-in-force notices were designated non-essential by their respective divisions. HHS continues to close wasteful and duplicative entities, including those that are at odds with the Trump administration’s Make America Healthy Again agenda.”
Initially, the Trump Administration Promised to Swiftly Roll-Out Mass Layoffs of Federal Workers with the Start of the Ggovernment’s Lapse in Funding, but the White House then appeared to Shift Strategy, holding Off on doing so a bit Longer as an increasing Number of Republican Lawmakers and Trump Administration Officials acknowledged the potential Political Perils of the Move. Friday’s Announcement came on day 10 of the Shutdown.
Some Furloughed Workers have Questioned how they would know they’ve been Laid-Off since they have Limited Access to Work email during the Shutdown. Administration Officials said Employees Impacted by the Layoffs would also be Notified by the U.S. Postal Service, which remains Operating during the Government Shutdown. The White House said Furloughed Employees can use Government-issued Equipment for purposes related to a Shutdown, which include “checking for any Reduction in Force (RIF) updates.” Agencies’ RIF Notices typically Call for Termination within 30 or 60 days.
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) called theAadministration’s move “Disgraceful.” “In AFGE’s 93 years of existence under several presidential administrations – including during Trump’s first term – no president has ever decided to fire thousands of furloughed workers during a government shutdown,” Everett Kelley, the Union’s National President, said in a Statement.
AFGE, along with Another Union representing Federal Workers, Filed a Lawsuit in a California Federal Court, Seeking to Stop the Trump Administration from Initiating the Mass Layoffs, calling them Illegal. The Unions pressed District Court Judge Susan Illston on Friday, to Immediately Halt the RIFs Now, that the Administration had started Carrying them Out. The Friday Filing from the Government revealing the Number of People affected followed Unions’ Request last week, for a Temporary Restraining Order to Block the Administration from Carrying Out its Threat.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
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