SAN FRANCISCO / WASHINGTON, D.C. — The prolonged federal government shutdown has intensified a battle between the Trump administration and the civil service, as White House officials declared their intention to aggressively cut the federal workforce, with projected layoffs expected to exceed 10,000. However, a federal court has temporarily blocked the administration's initial wave of firings, siding with employee unions who argue the dismissals are unlawful and politically motivated.
Administration Seeks 'Aggressive' Bureaucracy Cuts
White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought stated on October 15 (local time) that the administration intends to use the ongoing shutdown—which has lasted over two weeks due to a legislative impasse with Democrats over a spending bill—to reduce the size of the federal government.
Speaking on the "Charlie Kirk Show," Vought declared, "We want to be very aggressive where we can be in shuttering the bureaucracy. Not just the funding, but the bureaucracy, that we now have an opportunity to do that."
While the White House had initially filed court documents detailing plans to lay off over 4,000 federal employees, Vought now estimates the final number of job cuts, known as Reductions-in-Force (RIFs), would be significantly higher. "It will get much higher. We're going to keep those RIFs rolling throughout this shutdown because we think it's important to stay on offense for the American taxpayer and the American people," Vought said, suggesting the figure would eventually be "north of 10,000."
The OMB director specifically targeted the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), an agency he claims is no longer protecting consumers, stating plans to permanently close the organization within months. President Donald Trump has also spoken publicly about permanently closing "Democrat-colored" government programs during the shutdown. The move is widely seen as an attempt to escalate pressure on congressional Democrats to concede on appropriations.
Federal Judge Issues Temporary Halt to Firings
In a significant challenge to the administration's action, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in San Francisco granted a Temporary Restraining Order requested by federal employee unions, including the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE).
Judge Susan Illston issued the emergency order, temporarily blocking the administration from carrying out any further layoffs during or because of the shutdown. Judge Illston suggested the administration was acting outside the bounds of law, stating, "The evidence suggests that the [OMB] and the Office of Personnel Management are taking advantage of the lapse in government spending... to assume that all bets are off, that the laws don't apply to them any more."
The judge emphasized the devastating impact of the dismissals, adding that the "human cost cannot be tolerated." The unions have argued that using a temporary funding lapse to implement mass, permanent RIFs is an unlawful abuse of power designed to punish workers and exert political pressure on Congress. The ruling mandates that the administration stop issuing new RIF notices and take no action to enforce those already issued. A hearing to consider a longer-term injunction is expected within two weeks.
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