US Government Shutdown: White House Plans to Lay Off Over 10,000 Federal Workers as Deadlock Continues

The United States government shutdown has extended into its third week with no immediate resolution in sight.

On Wednesday, the White House announced that approximately 10,000 federal employees could face layoffs during the ongoing government shutdown as President Donald Trump increases pressure on Democratic lawmakers.

Russ Vought, chief of the White House Office of Management and Budget, stated during an interview on the Charlie Kirk show, "I think we'll probably end up being north of 10,000," when questioned about the potential number of layoffs. He added, "We want to be very aggressive where we can be in shuttering the bureaucracy."

Department of Justice documents reveal that over 4,000 employees were already terminated last Friday. The U.S. Treasury, along with health, education, and housing departments, have experienced the most significant impacts. Vought described these initial layoffs as merely a "snapshot," indicating more terminations are forthcoming.

The shutdown stems from a congressional deadlock over spending issues. President Trump has followed through on his warnings to substantially reduce the federal workforce in response to the ongoing impasse.

Trump has cautioned that continued opposition from Democrats to support a House-passed resolution funding the government through late November would result in mass layoffs specifically targeting employees perceived as aligned with the opposition party.

While the President has pledged to find a solution to ensure military personnel receive their paychecks, the uncertainty has already driven many service members to seek assistance at food banks across the country.

A recent court decision has temporarily halted some shutdown-related layoffs of federal workers, though this provides only limited relief as the broader shutdown continues.

Public opinion polls indicate Americans are attributing blame for the shutdown to both Republican and Democratic lawmakers, reflecting widespread frustration with the political gridlock in Washington.