Here are the agencies affected by shutdown layoffs
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The White House on Friday announced it was moving forward with layoffs of federal employees, making good on its threats amid the government shutdown.

Multiple agencies have confirmed their staff have received notices about reductions in force (RIFs). Details about the total number of employees affected are still unclear, though the number is expected to be in the thousands.

Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought announced layoffs would begin Friday, a day after the Senate failed to pass rival GOP and Democratic bills to end the shutdown.

Employees unions have vowed to challenge the firings in court, and Democrats and even some Republicans have criticized the move as one that turns federal workers into political pawns and threatens critical government services.

Here are the agencies The Hill knows are affected.

Department of Health and Human Services

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said in a statement to The Hill that employees “across multiple divisions” had received notices about reductions in force “as a direct consequence of the Democrat-led shutdown.”

“All HHS employees receiving reduction-in-force notices were designated non-essential by their respective divisions,” the department said. “HHS continues to close wasteful and duplicative entities, including those that are at odds with the Trump administration’s Make America Healthy Again agenda.”

The HHS was among the agencies hardest hit by layoffs earlier in the year through the Department of Government Efficiency’s efforts to slash the size of government.

It is unclear how many employees are being affected by the shutdown layoffs.

Department of Homeland Security

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security confirmed employees working for the sprawling agency would be part of layoffs.

Specifically, many employees working in the Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), were set to be laid off.

“RIFs will be occurring at CISA. During the last administration CISA was focused on censorship, branding and electioneering,” a DHS spokesperson said in a statement. “This is part of getting CISA back on mission.” 

The Trump administration has long targeted CISA after its former leader, Christopher Krebs, refuted President Trump’s claims about widespread fraud in the 2020 election. Trump fired Krebs in November 2020, and the administration earlier this year revoked Krebs’s security clearance.

Environmental Protection Agency

Employees in the EPA’s Resource Conservation and Sustainability Division received an email indicating the agency would be undertaking a reduction in force.

Asked about layoffs broadly, an EPA spokesperson told The Hill via email, “It’s unfortunate that Democrats have chosen to shut down the government and brought about this outcome. If they want to reopen the government, they can choose to do so at any time.” 

Contingency plans posted online ahead of the shutdown showed roughly 89 percent of the EPA’s workforce was slated to be furloughed during the shutdown.

The EPA confirmed in June it was down more than 700 staffers since January, though those staffers may have separated from the agency for any number of reasons.

Department of Education

A spokesperson for the Department of Education confirmed to The Hill its employees “will be impacted by the RIF.” But the spokesperson did not specify how many.

The Education Department has already been targeted by the Trump administration for mass layoffs. President Trump earlier this year signed an executive order calling for the closure of the department, and roughly half of the agency’s workers were laid off in a move that sparked court challenges.

Department of Housing and Urban Development

An administration official confirmed HUD employees would also be affected by the reductions in force, though they did not specify how many employees or which specific offices.

Treasury Department

A Treasury Department spokesperson confirmed to The Hill that RIF notices were underway at the agency as of Friday afternoon, though they did not provide specifics about how many people were affected.

Multiple reports indicated the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), which has already seen staffing reductions this year, was impacted.

Updated at 5:13 p.m.

Rachel Frazin contributed.

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