Trump administration says 4,108 workers have been fired since shutdown began

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Reuters

October 14, 2025 7:28 PM EDT Updated 11 hours ago


Oct 14 (Reuters) - The number of U.S. federal worker layoffs as a result of the government shutdown was revised downward on Tuesday, suggesting the Trump administration's initial statement about sweeping job cuts was too ambitious. The Trump administration has dismissed 4,108 employees since October 1, the day the U.S. government shutdown began, according to a statement filed Tuesday in court by the U.S. Department of Justice. The Justice Department last week in a separate court filing estimated the figure was at least 4,278.

The cuts amount to a fraction of the U.S. government's workforce. U.S. agencies employed some 2 million civilians at the start of the Trump administration. President Donald Trump blamed the cuts on the U.S. government shutdown. The government is closed because Trump and lawmakers have failed to agree on a spending plan for federal agencies. Trump is trying to pressure Democrats into accepting his spending plan by firing federal workers and cutting programs he says Democrats favor.

Since 1981, the U.S. has had 15 federal government shutdowns that furloughed hundreds of thousands of workers. No president has sought to use a shutdown as the basis for large-scale firings. The dismissals are expected to disrupt government operations, including disease outbreak investigations and college preparation. Federal worker unions are suing to overturn the firings. The law prohibits U.S. agencies from carrying out functions without approved funding from Congress.

There are certain exceptions, including for national security purposes and essential services to protect life and property. The unions said that implementing layoffs is not an essential service that can be performed during a government closure. The shutdown does not justify mass job cuts because most federal workers have been furloughed without pay, they said. A federal judge is due to hear the case on October 15.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/trump-administration-court-filing-says-it-laid-off-nearly-800-health-agency-2025-10-14/

[littlemissmartypants]

1. And he also said...

That number is too low. How are we going to rob (literally) the money we save from not having to pay hundreds of dollars in wages and make it worth our while? We will be firing many, many more. Suck it, America!

Then he farted and blew a raspberry at the reporters.

[slightlv]

2. Every single one of them should file a lawsuit against

trump and this administration for unlawful firing. Of course it won't go anywhere thanks to SCOTUS. But wrap trump up completely in paperwork and even initial trial dates. He may not do anything, but it'll eat at him mentally and emotionally and maybe stress his system out to that one last heartbeat we need.

I didn't want to retire from the DoD when I did... and I wouldn't have if they'd even met me halfway on my disability accommodations. But I've said recently I'm very glad the Universe worked as it did. I can see where my physical condition, not to mention my mental health, would have taken a bad downturn had I stayed. And, no doubt, I'd have been one of the first ones out the door with trumps "2nd term." But I still have friends there, and I worry about them. They're good at what they do; they carry a hell of a lot of institutional knowledge, and they care about doing right by their clients. IOW, they're exactly the kind of people trump *doesn't* want working in government. (sigh)