WASHINGTON: The White House confirmed it has initiated mass layoffs of federal workers as President Donald Trump increases pressure on opposition Democrats to end the government shutdown.
Budget chief Russ Vought announced on social media that the administration was following through on threats to fire some of the 750,000 public servants placed on enforced leave.
The Office of Management and Budget described the layoffs as substantial but provided no precise numbers or details about the most affected departments.
A court filing revealed the government has terminated more than 4,000 federal workers including over 1,000 each at the Treasury Department and Department of Health and Human Services.
Trump pledged to use the cutbacks to inflict pain on Democrats by targeting Democrat-oriented positions because he believes they started the shutdown.
Democratic leaders in Congress dismissed the threats as intimidation tactics and asserted that mass firings would not withstand legal challenges.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer condemned the White House for firing thousands of Americans via tweet and creating deliberate chaos.
Unions representing 800,000 government employees requested a federal emergency order to halt the firings ahead of an October 16 hearing on their legality.
A Treasury spokesperson confirmed the department had begun sending layoff notices while Health and Human Services said it started firing nonessential workers due to the Democrat-led shutdown.
Other departments conducting layoffs included Education, Housing and Urban Development, Commerce, Homeland Security and Energy according to the court filing.
Public servants who retain their jobs still face going without pay as the crisis continues with the standoff expected to last until at least mid-next week.
Adding to the financial pain 1.3 million active-duty military personnel are set to miss their pay due next Wednesday for the first time in modern funding shutdown history.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson described a somber mood in the Capitol as the shutdown entered its tenth day with nonessential government work halted since September 30.
Senate Democrats have repeatedly blocked a Republican resolution to reopen federal agencies over Republican refusal to include health insurance subsidy language.
Congress members have been looking to Trump to break the deadlock but the president has focused on Gaza ceasefire talks and mass deportation efforts.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics rescheduled key inflation data publication to October 24 due to shutdown-related logjams in government data releases.
Consumer price index data will be published to ensure accurate and timely Social Security benefit payments according to the bureau. – AFP