For the first time in history, the White House "butler" announced layoffs during the government shutdown, involving multiple departments including the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Commerce.

The U.S. government shutdown has entered its tenth day, with the White House following through on earlier threats to begin implementing large-scale layoffs in several federal agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Commerce. This is the first time in modern U.S. history that formal layoffs have taken place during a government shutdown, going beyond the previous practice of only having "furloughs" without pay, further escalating the political stalemate in Washington. White House Budget Office Director Watt announced the layoffs briefly on social media on Friday. According to White House officials, the layoffs affect thousands of employees, but the exact number has not been released. Several labor unions representing hundreds of thousands of federal employees filed an emergency motion in the San Francisco federal court on the same day, seeking an immediate halt to the layoffs and to prohibit the Budget Office from issuing termination notices before the October 16 court hearing. Employees from the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Education, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and other agencies have confirmed layoffs. Some employees from the Department of Commerce have also been laid off, and the union for the Environmental Protection Agency has stated that the agency has been impacted as well. Sources revealed that the IRS plans to lay off around 1,300 employees. The decision to lay off employees quickly sparked intense partisan battles in Congress. Senate Majority Leader Tuen blamed the Democratic Party, saying that the White House had "endured for ten days, hoping that Senate Democrats would awaken and fund the restoration of government operations." However, there were also divisions within the Republican Party. Senator Collins of Maine, chair of the Appropriations Committee, publicly opposed the layoffs, stating that "these arbitrary layoffs weaken the government's ability to fulfill its functions, and harm families and communities." The Democratic Party accused the layoffs of being illegal, arguing that spending funds to carry out layoffs during a shutdown "violates the budget procedure." Senate Minority Leader Schumer criticized the layoffs as a "deliberate attack" on white-collar and blue-collar workers, meant to create chaos. He said, "Nobody forced them to do this, it is a result of the White House's proactive choice." According to Justice Department documents, the government is required to submit a report later that day on whether there are plans to further dismiss employees during the shutdown. A court hearing has been scheduled for October 16 to review the union's request to halt the layoffs. Currently, over two-thirds of federal employees are still working, including those in "essential positions" and those in positions with long-term funding support, while the rest have been forced to stop work, with most in unpaid status. This round of layoffs is seen as a continuation of the federal agency streamlining action led by the "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE) at the beginning of the year. The agency, led by Musk, has reduced approximately 150,000 employees through voluntary resignation, early retirement, and probationary dismissal. Although some layoffs took effect at the start of the new fiscal year on October 1, some were temporarily stayed by the courts. This layoff operation is widely viewed as one of Trump's means of pressuring the Democratic Party politically. Since the start of the current shutdown, the White House has suspended funding for infrastructure projects in Democratic-controlled areas, including $18 billion for New York City, $2 billion for Chicago transportation projects, and a total of $8 billion for green energy funds in 16 states. Analysts point out that these measures are aimed at forcing the Democratic Party to compromise, while also demonstrating Trump's "tough stance" to his supporters. However, this strategy has also raised concerns within the Republican Party. Some lawmakers believe that large-scale layoffs weaken the party's image of "protecting federal employees" in the political discourse. Trump himself has repeatedly criticized the federal government as "bloated and inefficient," claiming that there are many "bureaucrats opposing his agenda" within it. Currently, both parties in Congress are still intermittently negotiating on short-term funding bills. Some Democratic lawmakers have bipartisan support for a temporary spending plan, but the main disagreement lies in whether to link the continuation of the Affordable Care Act subsidies with restoring government operations. The Democrats have warned that the tough measures from the White House Budget Office will further increase the difficulty of reaching an agreement, and reversing the layoffs could become a new condition in the negotiations for the Democratic Party.