It’s official: mass layoffs have begun in the federal government. On Friday, the Trump administration handed out “reduction-in-force” notices to thousands of federal workers. Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought announced on X: The RIFs have begun. — Russ Vought (@russvought) October 10, 2025 Over 4,000 workers across seven departments are now permanently losing their jobs. Take a look: BREAKING: The Trump administration has confirmed THOUSANDS of federal employees received “reduction-in-force” (RIF) notices today, across at least seven departments These are NOT furloughs. These are TERMINATIONS, thanks to the Schumer Shutdown Way to go, @SenSchumer! pic.twitter.com/ENzba6Q7YW — Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) October 10, 2025 CBS News broke down the numbers: On Friday, seven agencies began issuing reduction-in-force notices to more than 4,000 workers, according to the filing. They are: Department of Commerce: approximately 315 employees Department of Education: approximately 466 employees Department of Energy: approximately 187 employees Department of Health and Human Services: between approximately 1,100 and 1,200 employees Department of Housing and Urban Development: approximately 442 employees Department of Homeland Security: approximately 176 employees Department of Treasury: approximately 1,446 employees The court filing came in response to an emergency motion by two unions — the American Federation of Government Employees and the AFL-CIO — that are suing to block the mass layoffs during the government shutdown. President Trump says that a lot of layoffs are happening, and it will be mostly Democrats affected. Watch what he had to say here: BREAKING: President Trump announces that there will “be a lot [of layoffs] and it’ll be Democrat-oriented because we figure they started this thing.” “It’ll be a lot of people, all because of the Democrats.”pic.twitter.com/Fr84DUEMGs — Resist the Mainstream (@ResisttheMS) October 10, 2025 The Hill has more details on which specific departments and jobs are being cut: Department of Health and Human Services The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said in a statement to The Hill that employees “across multiple divisions” had received notices about reductions in force “as a direct consequence of the Democrat-led shutdown.” Between 1,100 and 1,200 employees were laid off on Friday, according to the DOJ filing. “All HHS employees receiving reduction-in-force notices were designated non-essential by their respective divisions,” the department said. “HHS continues to close wasteful and duplicative entities, including those that are at odds with the Trump administration’s Make America Healthy Again agenda.” The HHS was among the agencies hardest hit by layoffs earlier in the year through the Department of Government Efficiency’s efforts to slash the size of government. It is unclear how many employees are being affected by the shutdown layoffs. Department of Homeland Security A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed employees working for the sprawling agency would be part of layoffs. As of Friday night, 176 DHS employees were let go, per the DOJ. Specifically, many employees working in the Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), were set to be laid off. “RIFs will be occurring at CISA. During the last administration CISA was focused on censorship, branding and electioneering,” a DHS spokesperson said in a statement. “This is part of getting CISA back on mission.” The Trump administration has long targeted CISA after its former leader, Christopher Krebs, refuted President Trump’s claims about widespread fraud in the 2020 election. Trump fired Krebs in November 2020, and the administration earlier this year revoked Krebs’s security clearance. Environmental Protection Agency Employees in the EPA’s Resource Conservation and Sustainability Division received an email indicating the agency would be undertaking a RIF. Between 20 and 30 EPA employees were told that they may be affected by a RIF in the future. “EPA has not made a final decision as to whether or when to issue RIF notices to some or all of those employees at some point going forward and is currently deliberating regarding those potential plans,” a DOJ filing read. Asked about layoffs broadly, an EPA spokesperson told The Hill via email, “It’s unfortunate that Democrats have chosen to shut down the government and brought about this outcome. If they want to reopen the government, they can choose to do so at any time.” Contingency plans posted online ahead of the shutdown showed roughly 89 percent of the EPA’s workforce was slated to be furloughed during the shutdown. The EPA confirmed in June it was down more than 700 staffers since January, though those staffers may have separated from the agency for any number of reasons. Department of Education A spokesperson for the Department of Education confirmed to The Hill its employees “will be impacted by the RIF.” Approximately 466 Department of Education employees were laid off on Friday, according to the DOJ. The Education Department has already been targeted by the Trump administration for mass layoffs. President Trump earlier this year signed an executive order calling for the closure of the department, and roughly half of the agency’s workers were laid off in a move that sparked court challenges. Department of Housing and Urban Development An administration official confirmed HUD employees would also be affected by the reductions in force, though they did not specify how many employees or which specific offices. Around 442 HUD employees were let go Friday, the legal filing stated. Treasury Department A Treasury Department spokesperson confirmed to The Hill that RIF notices were underway at the agency as of Friday afternoon, though they did not provide specifics about how many people were affected. The DOJ stated that 1,446 employees were laid off on Friday. Multiple reports indicated the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), which has already seen staffing reductions this year, was impacted. Already, the federal workforce has been drastically reduced. And, things are just getting starting. Cue the Democrat meltdown, triggered by the Schumer shutdown! They brought this on themselves. BREAKING: The MELTDOWNS have begun over Vought’s announcement that mass layoffs are starting TODAY. We are just beginning and they are already losing their minds! THIS IS GOING TO BE EPIC. pic.twitter.com/aKobbxEcCZ — Gunther Eagleman (@GuntherEagleman) October 10, 2025