Washington. The White House budget office said Friday that mass firings of federal workers have begun, as President Donald Trump’s administration seeks to increase pressure on Democratic lawmakers while the government shutdown enters its 10th day.

Russ Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), announced on X that “the RIFs have begun,” referring to the administration’s reduction-in-force plans aimed at shrinking the federal workforce.

In a court filing, the budget office said more than 4,000 employees would be terminated, though it noted that the funding situation remains “fluid and rapidly evolving.”

The firings will hit hardest at the Treasury Department, which stands to lose over 1,400 employees, and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), with more than 1,100 cuts. The Education and Housing and Urban Development departments each will lose more than 400 workers. Hundreds more are expected to be laid off at the Commerce, Energy, and Homeland Security departments, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It was not immediately clear which programs would be affected.

The aggressive move goes far beyond standard government shutdown procedures and escalates an already toxic standoff between the White House and Congress. Negotiations to end the shutdown remain virtually nonexistent.

Typically, federal workers are furloughed and later reinstated with back pay once a shutdown ends. Officials have said about 750,000 employees are expected to be furloughed during this closure.

Democrats — and Some Republicans — Criticize the Administration

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Friday night, Trump said the firings would focus on “Democrat-oriented areas,” without elaborating.

“It’ll be a lot, and we’ll announce the numbers over the next couple of days,” Trump said. “Many of them happen to be Democrat-oriented. These are people that the Democrats wanted — in many cases, not appropriate — and many of them will be fired.”

Some leading Republicans criticized the move.

“I strongly oppose OMB Director Russ Vought’s attempt to permanently lay off federal workers who have been furloughed due to a completely unnecessary government shutdown,” said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Collins blamed the closure on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, called the announcement “poorly timed” and “another example of this administration’s punitive actions toward the federal workforce.”

Schumer said the layoffs were Trump’s choice.

“Let’s be blunt: Nobody’s forcing Trump and Vought to do this,” he said. “They’re callously choosing to hurt workers who protect our country, inspect our food, and respond when disasters strike. This is deliberate chaos.”

Notices of Firings Begin at Federal Agencies

The White House had previewed the tactic before the shutdown began on Oct. 1, instructing agencies to submit reduction-in-force plans to OMB for review. Those plans targeted programs losing funding or deemed “not consistent with the President’s priorities.”

On Friday, the Education Department confirmed new layoffs. A spokesperson for the department’s labor union said almost all staff below the director level at the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education were being terminated, while fewer than 10 employees were laid off at the Office of Communications and Outreach.

Notices have also gone out at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), part of the Department of Homeland Security. CISA, which has often clashed with Trump over misinformation issues related to the 2020 election and the COVID-19 pandemic, said the layoffs were “part of getting CISA back on mission.”

HHS confirmed some layoffs but declined to specify numbers or affected offices. The EPA also reported an unspecified number of terminations and blamed Democrats for the shutdown.

Unions File Legal Challenges

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which represents federal workers, is suing the administration to halt the firings, calling them an abuse of power designed to pressure Congress.

“It is disgraceful that the Trump administration has used the government shutdown as an excuse to illegally fire thousands of workers who provide critical services to communities across the country,” AFGE President Everett Kelley said in a statement.

The union said the Treasury Department is expected to issue 1,300 layoff notices.

Democrats argue the firings are unlawful and initially believed the administration would not follow through. But Trump signaled earlier this week that job cuts were imminent.

“If this keeps going on, it’ll be substantial, and a lot of those jobs will never come back,” he said Tuesday.

Workforce Cuts Complicate Shutdown Talks

Meanwhile, both chambers of Congress were largely empty Friday, with lawmakers digging in for a prolonged shutdown. Senate Republicans have urged Democrats to back a temporary funding bill, but Democrats insist on a broader deal to extend health care benefits.

Some GOP lawmakers said the mass layoffs are hindering bipartisan talks.

“The shutdown does not give Trump or Vought new, special powers to lay off workers,” said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee. “This is nothing new, and no one should be intimidated by these crooks.”

There were no signs of progress in negotiations between Senate leaders. Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said it was time for Democrats to act.

“It’s time for them to get a backbone,” Thune said.

The Partnership for Public Service, a nonpartisan organization tracking the federal workforce, noted that more than 200,000 civil servants have already left since the start of Trump’s term due to firings, retirements, and resignations.

“These unnecessary and misguided reductions in force will further hollow out our federal government, rob it of critical expertise, and hobble its ability to serve the public,” said Max Stier, the group’s president and CEO.