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

Stephen Fowler

Selena Simmons-Duffin

Deepa Shivaram

October 10, 2025 / 11:27 am

The Trump administration says "substantial" layoffs of federal workers have begun, appearing to follow through on threats to slash the size of government during the shutdown.

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.

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