Federal Worker Layoffs 'Have Begun'

In a major escalation of the ongoing U.S. government shutdown, layoffs of federal workers “have begun,” White House budget director Russell Vought announced in a social media post on Friday.

The statement was later confirmed by a spokesperson for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), who described the reductions as “substantial.”

The U.S. government has already furloughed hundreds of thousands of employees since the shutdown began. But permanent layoffs during a shutdown are highly unusual, making this development particularly alarming for federal workers and their unions.

Unions representing federal employees have moved quickly to push back. Several groups filed for an emergency court order to temporarily block the terminations, arguing that the move violates long-standing labor p