Trump's Layoffs

Ava Cai

October 10, 2025

This Friday, President Donald Trump started laying off federal workers after the government shut down just ten days ago. This decision made by the president and his advisors is a response to the Democratic Party’s unwillingness to approve the Congress’s funding deal. Russel Vought, the White House Office of Management and Budget director, declared that the reductions in force have officially begun. 

Departments directly affected by the government shutdown and the most recent federal layoffs include the Interior, Homeland Security, Energy, Treasury, Education, Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services, and the Environmental Protection Agency. Currently, the departments that President Trump seems to be targeting are the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, two departments that are essential in preventing hackers from accessing the country’s Information Technology infrastructure. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson commented, “During the last administration, CISA was focused on censorship, branding, and electroneering. This is part of getting CISA back on mission.”  The Smithsonian’s 17 museums — most of which are located in Washington, DC, and New York City — and the National Zoo are also scheduled to close by October 12th. 

President Trump’s efforts in federal layoffs caused outrage both in and outside the government buildings. The president has continuously echoed his threat of using the government shutdown as an excuse to lay off thousands of workers who are crucial to the nation’s productivity and stability. The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) and the American Federation of Government Employees, two big unions, are planning to file lawsuits against Director Vought regarding the legality of his layoff plans. The American Federation of Government Employees president, Everett Kelley, called the Trump administration “disgraceful” for illegally firing thousands of workers who provide critical services to communities across the country.” 

Throughout Trump’s second presidential term, around 300,000 federal service workers have already left their jobs. These surges in federal layoffs are tiring workers and making them feel like “pawns for the political and personal gains of the elected and unelected leaders,” as Everett Kelly puts it.