Trump admin following through on federal cuts amid shutdown

The Trump administration is continuing its promised federal reductions during the ongoing government shutdown, targeting departments such as Education and Treasury, leading to union challenges. 

Office of Management and Budget Director Russel Vought announced the reductions in force in a short Oct. 10 post on X: “The RIFs have begun.” 

Since then, roughly 4,000 federal employees have received termination notices, including about 1,500 at the Department of Treasury, 1,200 at the Department of Health and Human Services, and 450 each at the Departments of Education and of Housing and Urban Development, according to numbers from the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE).  

Employees were told they had 30 to 60 days before their official end date, PBS News reports. The outlet also claims nearly all workers have been dismissed from an office within the Department of Education that aids special education and “implements the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.” 

Cuts in the Office for Civil Rights, which “investigates complaints of discrimination” in schools and universities were also issued, according to PBS. 

AFGE and other national labor unions filed a temporary restraining order on Oct. 4 against the Trump administration to oppose anticipated RIFs, claiming the cuts “overstepped authority.” 

This restraining order follows a lawsuit, filed Sept. 30, claiming that Vought has “violated the law by directing that federal agencies conduct mass firings of federal workers during the shutdown,” AFGE states on its website. 

In a ruling on this lawsuit, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston of San Fransisco issued a temporary restraining order on Wednesday, blocking the Trump administration from executing the federal cuts during the government shutdown.

While a spokesperson for the Office of Management and Budget told EdWeek the cuts were “substantial,” President Donald Trump has been promising such cuts since he began his second term.  

In March, Trump signed an executive order promising the closure of the entire Department of Education. U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said this eventual dismantling returns the regulation of education to the states. 

“Education is fundamentally a state responsibility,” McMahon said in a statement in March. “Instead of filtering resources through layers of federal red tape, we will empower states to take charge and advocate for and implement what is best for students, families, and educators in their communities.” 

Despite AFGE’s and other unions’ claims, McMahon said carrying out the executive order will not harm families and students but instead will aid them, as the Department “follows the law” to “eliminate the bureaucracy” and “ensure a lawful and orderly transition.” 

“Closing the Department does not mean cutting off funds from those who depend on them—we will continue to support K-12 students, students with special needs, college student borrowers, and others who rely on essential programs,” McMahon said in her statement. “With today’s action, we take a significant step forward to give parents and states control over their children’s education.”