White House says 'substantial' layoffs of federal workers have begun, with few details

"The announcement first came from Office of Management and Budget director Russell Vought in a social media post on X that said, "The RIFs have begun." An OMB spokesperson confirmed to NPR that the reduction-in-force, or RIF process was underway and was "substantial" but declined to provide details of how many people are affected. At least one federal agency confirmed that reduction-in-force notices are being sent out to federal employees."

""HHS employees across multiple divisions have received reduction-in-force notices as a direct consequence of the Democrat-led government shutdown," Andrew Nixon, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services said shortly after Vought's post. "All HHS employees receiving reduction-in-force notices were designated non-essential by their respective divisions." The spokesperson blamed the Biden administration for creating a "bloated bureaucracy," although HHS has already cut more workers 20,000 workers through an earlier RIF and through voluntary resignations and retirements than were added during the Biden administration."

Office of Management and Budget director Russell Vought announced on X that reduction-in-force (RIF) layoffs have begun, and OMB confirmed the process is underway and "substantial" without providing numbers. At least one agency, the Department of Health and Human Services, reported RIF notices sent to employees designated non-essential and tied the notices to the government shutdown. HHS blamed the Biden administration while noting prior reductions and voluntary departures removed about 20,000 workers. Federal law requires RIFs to follow procedural rules including minimum advance notice, possible OPM waivers, and potential notifications to unions or Congress. Several unions have filed suit over alleged unlawful threats related to RIFs.

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