Walt posted just a short message on social media, and he didn’t mention exactly how many people are losing their jobs or which departments are affected. Reports from the U.S. media say this round of layoffs could be pretty big and might affect a lot of federal workers. Departments like Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, and the Treasury are all planning layoffs.
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A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Education said on the 10th that the department has been hit by another round of layoffs and will likely lose more staff. They haven't shared the details yet. The Trump administration aimed to shut down the department completely. When Trump started his term, there were about 4,100 people working there. By the 1st of this month, when the government shutdown began, that number had dropped to around 2,500.
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The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has confirmed that its cybersecurity agency, CISA, has started laying off some staff. They haven't said how many workers are being let go. CISA was set up in 2018 and is part of Homeland Security. Its job is to protect important infrastructure and keep cyberspace safe. Right now, CISA has about 2,540 people working there.
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Trump said on the 8th that furloughed workers might not get paid back. The next day, during a cabinet meeting, he warned, “We will cut some Democratic programs that are very popular but not with Republicans.” Before this, the Trump team had already cut federal funds to states run by Democrats multiple times.
Media in the U.S. point out that firing federal workers isn’t common during a government shutdown. Usually, during a shutdown, employees doing “essential” work keep going without pay, while many others are sent home unpaid. Once the government starts back up, those workers typically get their paychecks.
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A report in The New York Times suggests that the Trump administration's idea to lay off federal workers during the government shutdown might make things worse. Instead of helping, it could deepen the political gridlock and end up costing more in the long run. Trump seems to see the shutdown as a way to gain political advantage, using it to push for changes to the federal budget and get back at his political opponents.
The government shut down again at midnight on October 1, after the Senate couldn't pass a temporary funding bill before the existing funds ran out. This is the first shutdown in nearly seven years. By October 9, the Senate was still deadlocked, with both Democrats’ and Republicans’ proposals rejected once more, leaving no agreement and nothing moving forward.