Multiple agencies confirm reductions in force are under way
The Guardian has independently confirmed that reductions in force (RIFs) are under way at the following departments and agencies:
Certain agencies haven’t immediately responded to the Guardian’s request for comment, but other outlets have reported layoffs are expected at the following:
Key events
I’ve been chatting to Jessica Roth, a former federal prosecutor in the southern district of New York, about the indictment of Letitia James.
Roth said it was “extremely distressing” to see prosecutions brought against the president’s perceived political enemies.
“I can’t say that I was surprised that the department [under attorney general Bondi] pursued these charges against Tish James,” she added. “That doesn’t lessen my distress … particularly in light of what had been longstanding department of justice policy not to pursue an indictment unless prosecutors were convinced that they would be able to prove a case beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.”
Lindsey Halligan, the handpicked and newly installed US attorney for the eastern district of Virginia, has pursued the charges against James and former FBI director James Comey, and Roth notes that we could see a wider effort to bring charges against the president’s adversaries in districts throughout the country that are now run by Trump friendly prosecutors.
Much like the charges brought against Comey, Roth underscored that the crimes that James is being accused of are very difficult to prove “even under the best stances” because they require proof of “criminal intent as opposed to an honest mistake or negligence”.
Multiple agencies confirm reductions in force are under way
The Guardian has independently confirmed that reductions in force (RIFs) are under way at the following departments and agencies:
Certain agencies haven’t immediately responded to the Guardian’s request for comment, but other outlets have reported layoffs are expected at the following:
HHS confirms layoffs, saying department had become ‘bloated bureaucracy’ under Biden
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) confirmed to the Guardian that employees across “multiple divisions” have received reduction-in-force notices. HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said this was “a direct consequence of the Democrat-led government shutdown”.
He added that HHS under the Biden administration “became a bloated bureaucracy, growing its budget by 38% and its workforce by 17%”.
Nixon said that all employees receiving RIF notices were “designated non-essential by their respective divisions”.
“HHS continues to close wasteful and duplicative entities, including those that are at odds with the Trump administration’s Make America Healthy Again agenda,” he added.
Federal worker union calls mass layoffs during government shutdown ‘disgraceful’
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest union representing federal government workers, has condemned the mass layoffs announced by the White House budget office.
“It is disgraceful that the Trump administration has used the government shutdown as an excuse to illegally fire thousands of workers who provide critical services to communities across the country,” said Everett Kelley, the union’s president.
AFGE has already filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging the firings, and a hearing is set for Thursday, 16 October. “We will not stop fighting until every reduction-in-force notice is rescinded,” Kelley added.
Department of Education confirms layoffs will happen
The Department of Education has also confirmed to the Guardian that their employees will be affected by the reductions in force.
White House budget office says layoffs are ‘substantial’
An office of management and budget (OMB) spokesperson told the Guardian that the reductions in force that have begun are “substantial”.
The official didn’t confirm an exact number, but we’re bringing you the latest as we hear from different agencies and departments about how they stand to be affected.
Treasury department confirms that RIFs have begun
A treasury department spokesperson confirms to the Guardian that mass layoffs, or reductions in force, have started. They did not comment on the scale of the firings.
Donald Trump has returned from his visit to Walter Reed medical center for his “semi-annual physical”. He didn’t take questions from reporters on his way back to the White House.
We’re due to hear from him at 5pm ET in the Oval Office for an announcement about lowering the cost of drug prices.
DHS says layoffs will happen at cybersecurity agency
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson has told the Guardian that reductions in force (RIFs) will happen at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) while the government shutdown continues.
“During the last administration CISA was focused on censorship, branding and electioneering. This is part of getting CISA back on mission,” the spokesperson said.
Trump to host summit on Gaza with world leaders during Egypt visit – report
Donald Trump plans to hold a summit of world leaders on Gaza, during his visit to Egypt next week, according to Axios.
Citing four sources with knowledge of the plans, Axios reports that the summit is being organized by Egyptian president Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, who has already reached out to several European and Arab leaders with invitations. According to a US official, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not be present, and the meeting will likely take place on Tuesday in Sharm-el-sheikh, but could be moved to Monday, according to Axios’ sources.
A reminder that Trump is set to address Israel’s Knesset on Monday, before travelling to Egypt.
Here’s a recap of the day so far
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The White House announced layoffs of federal workers are to come as the government shutdown continues. In an ominous post on social media, budget chief Russ Vought wrote that “reductions in force” (laying off federal workers) have begun, as the shutdown enters its 10th day.
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On Capitol Hill, the impasse continues, as House speaker Mike Johnson said the lower chamber won’t return until the Senate decides to ‘turn the lights back on’. Republican leadership continued to lambast Democrats, blaming them for the shutdown and saying that a separate bill to keep members of the military paid was redundant since the House-passed legislation – which has stalled in the upper chamber seven times – would reopen the government. “We have voted so many times to pay the troops. We’ve already done it. We did it in the house three weeks ago, the ball is in the court of Senate Democrats right now,” Johnson added.
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The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has become the first of nine universities to reject an agreement that would exchange adoption of the Trump administration’s higher education agenda for favorable treatment and funding. Sally Kornbluth, the MIT president, wrote to the Trump administration to say that “the university has already freely met or exceeded many of the standards outlined in the proposal, but that she disagrees with other requirements it demands, including those that would restrict free expression”.
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We’re waiting to hear the ruling from a federal court in San Francisco, over Trump’s deployment of troops to Portland, Oregon. Three appellate judges heard arguments on Thursday and seemed more likely to rule in Trump’s favor than the decision by a federal judge in Chicago, who blocked troops from deploying to the windy city. The administration has said it plans to appeal the ruling.
One note on the announced layoffs of government workers. A federal judge will actually hear arguments next week over the legality of the reductions in force during the shutdown. This comes after the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) sued the administration over the layoff threat earlier this week.
The AFGE is the largest union representing federal workers.
US government workforce cuts have begun, OMB chief says
Donald Trump’s White House budget chief, Russ Vought, just ominously posted on X that “reductions in force” (laying off federal workers) have begun, as the government shutdown enters its 10th day. He offered no further details, but we’ll bring you more as soon as we get it.
MIT becomes first university to reject White House offer for special funding treatment
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has become the first university to reject an agreement that would exchange adoption of the Trump administration’s higher education agenda for favorable treatment and funding.
The administration’s proposal – the “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” – was sent to nine universities and set out a list of requirements including a cap international student enrollment, freezing tuition for five years, adhering to definitions of gender and creating a more “welcoming” environment on campuses for conservatives. Doing so would give the institutions preferential access to federal funding.
Sally Kornbluth, the MIT president, wrote to the Trump administration to say that “the university has already freely met or exceeded many of the standards outlined in the proposal, but that she disagrees with other requirements it demands, including those that would restrict free expression”.
She added:
Fundamentally, the premise of the document is inconsistent with our core belief that scientific funding should be based on scientific merit alone.
The other eight colleges are the University of Arizona, Brown University, Dartmouth College, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California, the University of Texas, Vanderbilt University and the University of Virginia.
National guard troops seen on Memphis streets as Trump faces legal challenges
National guard troops were seen patrolling in Memphis for the first time on Friday, as part of Donald Trump’s controversial federal taskforce, amid fierce legal challenges as he was blocked from sending troops to Chicago and a court ruling is awaited in Portland, Oregon.
At least nine national guard troops began their Tennessee patrol at the Bass Pro Shops, an outdoor gear chain, located at the Pyramid, a commercial landmark in Memphis. They were being escorted by a Memphis police officer and posed for photos with visitors who were standing outside.
It was unclear how many federalized troops were on the ground or were expected to arrive later.
During an NAACP Memphis forum on Wednesday, Memphis’s police chief, Cerelyn “CJ” Davis, had said she hoped guard personnel would help direct traffic and have a presence in “retail corridors”, but not be used to operate checkpoints or anything similar – the kind of situation Washington DC experienced.
Memphis authorities did not request federal troops but Tennessee’s Republican governor, Bill Lee, supports the move by the White House.
Read the full story here:
US immigration enforcement using military hardware and tactics on civilians
George Chidi
Even without the national guard, law enforcement agencies of the federal government have been using military hardware and tactics on civilian targets.
At a low-rent apartment complex on Chicago’s south shore, people started hearing the boots hit the roof around one in the morning. The oh-dark-thirty immigration enforcement raid in the early hours of 1 October featured an air assault from helicopters. Officers went door to door in the building, using charges to blow the hinges off doors and flashbang grenades to clear apartments. They hauled men, women and children from the building in zip ties and often little else, ostensibly to capture undocumented gang members.
The troubled apartment building at 7500 S South Shore Drive hadn’t passed an annual inspection since 2022. With the remains of doors and furniture and the bloodied, scattered belongings of former tenants in tatters, it may struggle to pass another.
“So many of these people remain without shelter or a place to live because it essentially rendered their homes and that entire apartment complex uninhabitable,” said Colleen Connell, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois. She described the apartment raid as a military-style attack. Days afterward, the building looked like a war zone, which may be the point.
Read more of George’s report below.
