The White House said that it had begun substantial layoffs across the U.S. government, as President Trump followed through on a threat to cut the federal workforce during the government shutdown.
Job cuts were underway at the Treasury Department and the U.S. health agency, spokespeople said, but the total extent of the layoffs was not immediately clear. Roughly 300,000 federal civilian workers will leave their jobs this year due to a downsizing campaign initiated earlier this year by Trump.
"The RIFs have begun," White House budget director Russell Vought wrote on social media, referring to so-called reductions in force. A spokesperson for the budget office characterized the cuts as "substantial," without offering further details.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to fire federal workers during the shutdown standoff, in its 10th day today, and has suggested his administration will aim primarily at "Democrat agencies."
He has ordered the freezing of at least $28 billion in infrastructure funds for New York, California and Illinois - all home to sizable populations of Democratic voters and critics of the administration.
Trump's Republicans hold majorities in both chambers of Congress, but need at least seven Democratic votes to pass a funding bill in the Senate, where Democrats are holding out for an extension of health-insurance subsidies. Read more.
