Q: How many layoffs have you authorized?
Trump: It'll be a lot. And it'll be Democrat-oriented.
How's this legal?
pic.twitter.com/dcxmvSIayv— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) October 10, 2025
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Friday began laying off more than 4,000 federal workers, according to a court filing, as the government remains shut down due to the inability of Congress to reach a funding deal.
Reduction-in-force notices are being sent to federal workers across seven departments, with the Treasury Department and Department of Health and Human Services being the hardest hit and accounting for more than half of the total layoffs, according to a new Justice Department filing.
The court filing is in response to a lawsuit over the shutdown layoffs from the American Federation of Government Employees and the AFL-CIO.
Other affected agencies include the departments of Homeland Security, Education, Energy, Housing and Urban Development and the Environmental Protection Agency.
“The RIFs have begun,” White House budget director Russ Vought said on X earlier Friday, referring to “reductions in force” for workers.
While he didn’t provide details, a spokesperson for the White House Office of Management and Budget confirmed to NBC News that the layoffs had begun and said they will be “substantial.”