US President Donald Trump on Friday blamed Democrats for his decision to lay off thousands of federal employees, as his administration began implementing sweeping job cuts across multiple government agencies amid the ongoing shutdown.

Layoffs were reported at the Treasury Department, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Internal Revenue Service, and the departments of Education, Commerce, and the Department of Homeland Security’s cybersecurity division, according to agency spokespeople. The full scale of the cuts remains unclear.

The move adds to an already significant downsizing effort launched earlier this year, with roughly 300,000 federal civilian workers slated to leave their jobs in 2025.

“They started this thing,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, describing the job cuts as “Democrat-oriented.”

More than 4,200 federal employees laid off

Republicans currently control both chambers of Congress but still need Democratic support in the Senate to pass any government funding bill. Democrats have refused to back a deal without an extension of health-insurance subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, warning that health costs would soar for the 24 million Americans covered under the program.

The president, in his 10th day of the standoff with congressional Democrats, has repeatedly threatened to fire federal workers and redirect resources from agencies and states he associates with Democratic leadership. His administration has already frozen at least $28 billion in infrastructure funds earmarked for New York, California, and Illinois, all Democratic strongholds.

According to a Justice Department filing, more than 4,200 federal employees have received layoff notices at seven agencies, including over 1,400 at the Treasury Department and at least 1,100 at Health and Human Services.

The layoffs were detailed as follows:

• 315 employees from the Department of Commerce;
• 466 employees from the Department of Education;
• 187 employees from the Department of Energy;
• Up to 1,200 employees from the Department of Health and Human Services;
• 422 employees from the Department of Housing and Urban Development;
• 176 employees from the Department of Homeland Security;
• 1,446 employees from the Treasury Department.

Democrats push back

Democratic leaders have condemned the layoffs as political retaliation. “Until Republicans get serious, they own this, every job lost, every family hurt, every service gutted,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

Federal labor unions have filed lawsuits seeking to halt the layoffs, arguing that dismissing employees during a shutdown violates federal labor law. The administration countered in court filings that the unions lack legal standing to challenge personnel decisions. A federal judge is scheduled to hear the case on October 15.

On his part, White House Budget Director Russell Vought confirmed the layoffs in a social media post, writing that “the RIFs had begun,” referring to “reductions in force.” The Office of Management and Budget described the cuts as “substantial” but offered no further details.

The announcement came as hundreds of thousands of federal employees received partial paychecks that excluded compensation for days worked since the shutdown began. Active-duty military personnel, roughly 2 million troops, are set to miss their October 15 paychecks if the standoff continues.

Wider context

At the Department of Health and Human Services, layoffs reportedly targeted furloughed staff. About 41% of the agency’s 78,000 employees had already been ordered to stay home. Similar layoffs were reported at the Treasury Department, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Commerce and Education departments.

The Education Department, which Trump has previously vowed to eliminate, confirmed it had begun issuing termination notices.

Reports also indicated job cuts at the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy, and the Department of the Interior, though officials declined to comment.

Within the Department of Homeland Security, layoffs were reported at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), which drew Trump’s ire after the 2020 election when its director declared there was “no evidence” of voting system compromises.

The Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration were not affected, Reuters reported, citing a source familiar with the situation.

Shutdown used as leverage against 'deep state'

Trump has repeatedly hinted at using the shutdown as a mechanism to carry out long-promised federal workforce cuts, often describing federal employees as part of the so-called "deep state".

“We’ll be cutting very popular Democrat programs that aren’t popular with Republicans,” Trump said Thursday at the White House, suggesting that the layoffs are politically motivated.

The administration’s messaging has drawn criticism from labor unions and former officials who warn the moves could disrupt public services and deepen instability within federal institutions.