Trump Administration Plans to Cut Over 10,000 Federal Jobs Amid Ongoing Government Shutdown

The Trump administration is preparing to eliminate more than 10,000 federal positions during the ongoing government shutdown, according to White House budget director Russell Vought. Vought stated that the administration aims to be "very aggressive" in reducing the federal bureaucracy, viewing the shutdown as an opportunity to implement these cuts. He indicated that the number of reduction-in-force (RIF) notices could exceed 10,000. The administration has already issued layoff notices to approximately 4,200 federal employees, with expectations for this number to grow. These layoffs are part of a broader strategy to reshape the federal workforce, focusing on reducing positions in agencies and programs not aligned with the administration's priorities. The American Federation of Government Employees has filed a lawsuit challenging the legality of these layoffs during the shutdown. A federal judge has expressed an inclination to grant a temporary block on the firings while the case is under consideration.