White House Budget Director: "RIF Notifications Will Continue"
Government Filings Show 4,000 Employees Laid Off
Court: "Layoffs Exceed Government Authority"
On October 15 (local time), Russell Vought, Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, announced that more than 10,000 federal employees would be laid off due to the U.S. federal government shutdown (Shut Down·temporary suspension of work), which has entered its third week.
On the 15th (local time), travelers are lined up for security checks at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. Photo by AP Yonhap News
According to reports from Politico and the Associated Press, Director Vought appeared on "The Charlie Kirk Show," which was filmed at the White House that day, and stated, "We will continue to proceed with Reduction in Force (RIF) notifications," adding, "These notifications were sent last Friday (the 10th) by each department to initiate layoffs of federal employees."
Court filings indicate that about 4,000 federal employees have already been laid off, but Vought predicted, "In the end, the number will likely exceed 10,000." This suggests that the number of layoffs could increase further.
He also said, "We don't just want to cut funding; we want to be very aggressive in shutting down entire bureaucratic organizations where possible," adding, "Now we have that opportunity."
Director Vought stated that the layoffs would focus on departments that do not align with the Trump administration's policy priorities. These include the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency's environmental justice programs, the Minority Business Development Agency, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. In particular, Vought announced plans to shut down the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau within a few months, claiming that the agency is not protecting consumers.
These remarks came immediately after President Donald Trump announced the previous day that if the shutdown continued through the weekend, he would release a new list of programs to be closed on the 17th.
On October 14, President Trump told reporters, "We are now shutting down the Democratic-style programs that we have opposed," adding, "Many of them will never return."
With the federal government shutdown continuing for more than two weeks due to the failure of the Democrats and Republicans to reach a temporary budget agreement, it is interpreted that the White House is using the issue of federal employee layoffs to increase pressure on the Democratic Party.
Meanwhile, it has been reported that the court reviewing the "temporary restraining order" requested by public sector unions, including the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), to halt the government's layoffs is considering measures to block the government's layoff plans.
According to the Associated Press, Federal District Judge Susan Illston indicated during the hearing that "the evidence submitted suggests that these layoffs are illegal and exceed the government's authority," and expressed her willingness to temporarily halt the layoffs of federal employees during the shutdown.
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