Trump Administration Cuts Over 4,000 Federal Jobs During Funding Fight, Court Filing Shows

A Justice Department court filing shows the Trump administration has moved to cut more than 4,000 federal positions as the partial government shutdown hit its tenth day. Officials say Congress failed to pass funding, so agencies had to issue RIF notices in line with OPM guidance. The move landed fast and forced immediate personnel decisions.

Federal employee unions uncovered the totals while racing to court to block the layoffs in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. They asked a judge for an emergency restraining order, arguing the reductions are premature and harmful to employees. The filing pulled back the curtain on agency-by-agency notices.

Treasury absorbed the biggest hit, cutting about 1,446 positions, and Health and Human Services cut roughly 1,200 jobs. Education trimmed 466, Housing and Urban Development let 442 go, Commerce cut 315, Energy 187 and Homeland Security 176. The scale shocked career staff and the communities that rely on those services.

DOJ’s filing shows other agencies have begun formal RIF warnings as leaders sort priorities during the lapse. The Environmental Protection Agency warned 20 to 30 employees they could lose their jobs, while the Patent and Trademark Office sent RIF notices to about 126 workers on Oct. 1. Many agency decisions remain in internal review, officials say.

“Other Defendant agencies have made predecisional assessments regarding offices and subdivisions that may be considered for potential RIFs based on the criteria outlined in the OPM Lapse Email. But those assessments remain under deliberation and are not final,” the Justice Department wrote.

DOJ lawyers told the court that official separations generally will not happen for 30 to 60 days, so they argue emergency relief is premature. “Plaintiffs fail to establish irreparable harm,” DOJ lawyers wrote. The department called many of the unions’ claims speculative until separations actually occur.

White House budget director Russ Vought posted about the cuts on X, writing “The RIFs have begun” after Senate Democrats blocked a funding bill. His post framed the reductions as a direct result of stalled appropriations and political obstruction. Republicans say it shows what happens when funding is weaponized for politics.

Union leaders insist the layoffs will devastate families and cripple programs, and they pushed the court for immediate intervention. Judge Susan Illston scheduled a hearing for next Thursday to consider the unions’ restraining order request. That hearing will test whether judges will act before any official separations.

From a Republican vantage, these cuts were avoidable and brought on by lawmakers who chose brinkmanship over governing. The administration stresses it followed legal rules and gave statutory notice before moving. Agencies are still assessing operations and could issue more RIFs if funding stays stalled.

The practical fallout is already obvious: schedules shift, backlogs grow and managers scramble to maintain services with fewer hands available. Some employees may not lose pay immediately, but the uncertainty is real and ongoing as appropriations talks sputter. Courts and Congress will now wrestle with the legal and political fallout while agencies try to keep essential functions running.