'Shutdown' US government notifies 4000 federal employees of dismissal…Trump: "Democrats to blame"

As the U.S. federal government enters its tenth day of a shutdown (partial work stoppage), the Trump administration has begun to lay off large numbers of federal employees.

On the 10th (local time), according to AFP and CNN, Russell Vought, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), said on social media platform X that "personnel reductions (RIF) have begun."

An OMB spokesperson described the size of the layoffs as "substantial," but did not specify the exact number of federal employees who received termination notices.

According to AFP, in documents filed with the court the OMB indicated that up to 4,000 personnel were dismissed, including more than 1,000 each from the Treasury Department and the Department of Health and Human Services.

An HHS spokesperson said, "As a result of the government shutdown driven by the Democrats, employees in several departments have received termination notices," adding, "The employees who received notices were those classified as nonessential by each department."

They added, "We will continue to close agencies that conflict with the Trump administration's 'Make America Healthy Again' initiative or that are wasteful and duplicative."

According to multiple sources, HHS has been considering large-scale cuts targeting agencies under its purview, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

Those targeted for dismissal reportedly received termination notices via email at 9 p.m. the previous day. Included among the departments affected was the Education Department, which had carried out large-scale staff cuts in March, reducing its overall workforce by nearly half.

The mass dismissals of federal employees may also be a strategy by U.S. President Donald Trump to put pressure by blaming the Democrats for the shutdown.

President Trump told reporters, "There are going to be many people who are fired and they will likely be Democrats," adding, "because they are the ones who started this."

Meanwhile, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer criticized the federal staff reductions, saying, "No one is forcing Trump and Vought to fire people," and added, "They don't have to do it, but they want to."

Oh Se-sung, Hankyung.com reporter sesung@hankyung.com