The White House Office of Management and Budget announced on Oct. 10, 2025, that mass firings of federal workers have started during the government shutdown. OMB controls personnel decisions for executive branch agencies during funding lapses. The announcement came on day 10 of the shutdown with no resolution in sight.

President Trump stated that the reductions in force will be Democrat oriented. He told reporters his administration will announce the number of layoffs in the next couple of days and warned that it will be a lot. This represents explicit acknowledgment that the firings target employees based on perceived political affiliation.

Trump previously threatened on Oct. 2 to use the shutdown for mass federal layoffs of career civil servants he views as disloyal or part of the 'deep state.' The Oct. 10 announcement confirms he is executing that threat while 750,000 federal workers remain furloughed and 700,000 work without pay.

Federal civil service laws protect career employees from political discrimination in hiring and firing. The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act of 1883 and subsequent laws prohibit removing employees based on political affiliation. Trump statement that layoffs will be Democrat oriented directly contradicts these legal protections.

The shutdown provides cover for mass firings because normal personnel procedures and oversight mechanisms are suspended during funding lapses. Employees cannot appeal to the Merit Systems Protection Board when it lacks funding. Union representatives who would challenge firings are furloughed. Congressional oversight is limited with committees not meeting regularly.

Trump has long sought to remake the federal workforce, including his previous attempt to create Schedule F that would have reclassified tens of thousands of career civil servants as at-will employees removable without cause. President Biden rescinded Schedule F in 2021. Trump is now using the shutdown to achieve similar goals without formal policy changes.

Federal employee unions have warned about politically motivated firings since Trump took office in January 2025. The American Federation of Government Employees filed lawsuits in 🌴California federal court to stop the administration from conducting sweeping layoffs. The Oct. 10 announcement confirms their fears about mass political purges.