Trump's week in review: Antifa Roundtable, Israel-Hamas ceasefire
5. Trump admin. begins mass firings of federal workers amid gov't shutdown
In a statement on X Friday, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought announced that “RIFs have begun.” The term “RIF” is an acronym for “reduction in force.”
Vought wrote a letter to the heads of executive branch agencies late last month as a government shutdown was expected to begin on Oct. 1 directing them to consider sending RIF notices to employees “in programs, projects, or activities (PPAs) that satisfy all three of the following conditions: (1) discretionary funding lapses on October 1, 2025; (2) another source of funding, such as H.R. 1 (Public Law 119-21) is not currently available; and (3) the PPA is not consistent with the President’s priorities.”
Vought stressed that once the government shut down ends, agencies “should revise their RIFs as needed to retain the minimal number of employees necessary to carry out statutory functions.” The American Federation of Government Employees and several other labor unions filed a lawsuit against Vought and the OMB, as well as the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and its Director Scott Kupor on Sept. 30, a day before the government shutdown began.
The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, alleges that the Trump administration’s plans to reduce the federal workforce during the shutdown by issuing RIFs are illegal.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
