The Trump administration has started laying off thousands of government employees to put pressure on Democrats amid government shutdown.
White House officials confirmed that on X, saying, “The RIFs have begun,” referring to an acronym for "reductions in force."
As per multiple reports, it was also revealed that seven government agencies had already started laying off over 4,000 employees.
President Donald Trump has often said he wants to use the shutdown to reduce the number of federal employees.
Legally, the federal government has to give workers at least 30 days’ notice before laying them off.
Following this announcement, major departments like the Treasury and Health and Human Services (HHS) confirmed they were sending these notices.
While Homeland Security said it would lay off some employees at its Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency even though many of its staff is considered essential.
However, there wasn't much detailed information about the layoffs.
Meanwhile, two large unions including, the American Federation of Government Employees and AFL-CIO, filed a lawsuit questioning whether this new plan to lay off federal workers during the shutdown is legal.
"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.
A spokesman from the White House budget office told the BBC on Saturday that the layoffs were just the beginning.
