White House: Shutdown Layoffs Will Be ‘North Of 10,000’
White House budget director Russ Vought is projecting that over 10,000 federal employees will be terminated due to the current government shutdown.
Vought pledged to “continue the RIFs,” alluding to the reduction-in-force notifications issued by agencies to terminate government employees on Friday.
Shortly after Vought’s statement, a federal judge in California introduced ambiguity into Vought’s commitment by prohibiting the layoffs associated with the closure. The Trump administration will contest that verdict.
Approximately 4,000 government employees have been terminated, as shown by court documents; however, the budget director anticipates that the total will likely exceed 10,000, as noted by Politico.
“We want to be very aggressive where we can be in shuttering the bureaucracy—not just the funding, but the bureaucracy—and we now have an opportunity to do that,” Vought added on The Charlie Kirk Show, speaking in his first live interview since the shutdown began.
Vought anticipated that the layoffs would affect agencies misaligned with the Trump administration’s priorities, including environmental justice initiatives at the Department of Energy and EPA, the Minority Business Development Agency, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
The remarks were made a day after President Donald Trump pledged to provide a new list of programs for elimination on Friday, should the shutdown persist until the week’s conclusion.
“We’re closing up programs that are Democrat programs that we were opposed to,” Trump said Tuesday. “And they’re never going to come back in many cases.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson warned Wednesday that the Trump administration’s effort to keep military families paid during the ongoing government shutdown is only a temporary fix that could soon expire.
During a press conference at the Capitol, Johnson said the administration’s move to reroute Pentagon funds to cover military paychecks is a short-term measure that cannot continue indefinitely, Politico reported.
“The problem we have right now is that, in spite of President Trump’s heroic efforts to make sure they get paid, that is a temporary fix,” Johnson told reporters.
“The executive branch, his help, is not permanent. It can’t be,” he added. “And if the Democrats continue to vote to keep the government closed as they have done so many times, then we know U.S. troops are going to risk missing a full paycheck at the end of this month.”
The Trump administration authorized the Department of Defense to use unspent research and development funds to pay active-duty service members during the shutdown, which began earlier this month after the Senate failed to pass a funding measure.
The move provided temporary relief for military families who were preparing to miss their paychecks.
Johnson credited the president for taking action, but said the measure does not address the larger problem.
“The reason that the way they were able to get the troops paid for this paycheck — and as I said, this is not an enduring solution, because we will run out of the funds — but there was some unspent funds in, effectively, R&D accounts in defense,” Johnson said.
“They moved that over to prioritize payment of those who are putting their lives on the line today and who have families in serious situations,” he added.
The government shutdown has resulted in thousands of federal employees being furloughed or temporarily laid off.
Those deemed “essential,” including active-duty military and federal law enforcement, continue to work but often without pay until the shutdown ends.
The House passed a short-term funding measure known as a continuing resolution on September 19 to keep the government operating through November 21.
The measure would give lawmakers more time to negotiate a comprehensive spending agreement for fiscal year 2026.
To advance in the Senate, the resolution requires 60 votes.
So far, only three Democrats have joined Republicans in voting to end the shutdown.
The air in the emergency room was tense as the medical staff gathered around the monitor, their eyes glued to the X-ray image. It was unlike anything they had expected. The X-ray revealed a chaotic, tangled mass of metallic objects inside the boy’s stomach. The room was silent, save for the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor attached to the boy, who lay on the examination table with a pained expression.
The doctor, a seasoned professional who had seen his fair share of emergencies, struggled to maintain composure. The image on the screen was utterly disturbing; it was as if the boy had swallowed a small scrapyard. Nuts, bolts, screws, and even small batteries were visible amidst the jumble. It was a miracle the child was still conscious and coherent enough to walk into the hospital, given the potential for internal damage and toxicity.
“Prepare the operating room immediately,” the doctor ordered, breaking the stunned silence. The urgency in his voice was palpable, and the staff moved swiftly, their training kicking in as they prepared for an emergency surgery that would require utmost precision and care.
As the nurses wheeled the boy to the operating room, the doctor pondered the psychological aspect of the situation. Why would a child ingest such dangerous objects? Was it a cry for help, an act of desperation? The fact that the boy had come alone suggested a troubling home situation, and his reluctance to mention his parents or home only deepened the mystery.
In the operating room, the team worked meticulously to remove the foreign objects from the boy’s stomach. It was a delicate procedure, fraught with risks of perforation and infection. The surgeon, with steady hands, extracted the metallic pieces one by one, each removal a small victory in a battle for the boy’s life.
Meanwhile, a social worker had been called in to piece together the boy’s story. She sat in the waiting area, ready to speak with him once he was stable. Her role was crucial; understanding the boy’s circumstances would be key to ensuring his safety and well-being moving forward. The hospital’s immediate concern was the boy’s health, but his emotional and psychological needs were just as pressing.
Hours passed before the doctor finally emerged from the operating room, exhaustion etched on his face but also a hint of relief. The surgery had been successful; the boy was out of immediate danger. The medical team had done everything they could to ensure his physical recovery, but the path ahead was uncertain.
As the boy was moved to a recovery room, the social worker approached, ready to offer comfort and begin the delicate conversation. She hoped to unravel the mystery of his circumstances, to understand the fears and challenges that had driven him to such extremes.
In the days that followed, the boy slowly opened up, revealing a life marked by neglect and hardship. His actions had been a desperate plea for attention and care, driven by a longing for the nurturing he had never received. With the support of the hospital staff and social services, plans were made to find him a safe and loving environment, where he could heal not just physically, but emotionally as well.
This incident served as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities of children and the importance of vigilance and compassion. It was a story of survival against the odds, a testament to the resilience of the human spirit, and a call to action for those who encountered it to remain alert to the silent cries for help that often go unnoticed.