The Trump administration has begun laying off federal workers as tensions over the government shutdown escalate.

The standoff between Democrats and Republicans reached its 10th day on Friday, and White House budget director Russell Vought announced with a four-word cryptic clue that he had begun cutting jobs, just as Donald Trump had previously indicated.

“The RIFs have begun,” the administration’s resident “Grim Reaper” wrote on social media, referring to so-called reductions in force.

He offered no further details, but the Office of Management and Budget, which Vought heads, has warned that the sackings will be “substantial.”

Vought’s post on X sparked an immediate lawsuit by the American Federation of Government Employees, which has sought a temporary restraining order to block the

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