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24m ago

White House Begins Mass Federal Layoffs in Escalation of Shutdown Standoff

The move departs from past shutdown practice to increase leverage on Senate Democrats resisting the GOP funding bill.

Russell Vought, Office of Management and Budget director, listens as he addresses members of the media outside the West Wing at the White House in Washington, Monday, Sept. 29, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
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In an extraordinary effort to inject politics into millions of Americans’ travel experiences, the Trump administration plans to roll out a video at airports across the United States that will blame Democrats for lapses in Transportation Security Administration workers’ pay because of the government shutdown.
It ‘doesn’t take long before the system slows down’

Overview

  • OMB Director Russ Vought said on X that “the RIFs have begun,” with a spokesperson calling the layoffs substantial and withholding details on numbers or targeted agencies.
  • The American Federation of Government Employees filed suit to block the firings, as Democrats argue the cuts are unlawful departures from standard furlough procedures.
  • Airports continue to face significant delays tied to air traffic controller absences, with roughly 13,000 controllers and about 50,000 TSA officers working without pay as partial paychecks started today for pre-shutdown work.
  • Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned he would fire “problem children” controllers who skip shifts during the shutdown, blaming a small subset for widespread disruptions.
  • A DHS-confirmed video featuring Secretary Kristi Noem blaming Democrats is playing in airport terminals, prompting Hatch Act complaints as some agencies post similar shutdown messages online.