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Reductions in force during the government shutdown

On Oct. 10, 2025, just 10 days into the government shutdown, Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought announced on X that reductions in force were starting, making true on his intention to use a shutdown to further slash the federal workforce.  

Until now, these reductions, or RIFs, had never been executed during a lapse in appropriations because they are generally used to enact long-term workforce restructuring, while government shutdowns are temporary. Once agencies resume operations following a shutdown, they require full staffing to function.  

This blog outlines the basics of a reduction in force, explains the current state of play and provides impacted federal workers with resources to navigate changes to their employment.

Reductions in force versus government shutdowns 

Agencies use reductions in force to shrink their workforce. Often, RIFs occur when an agency reorganizes, lacks work, or receives a diminished budget.  

The Code of Federal Regulations outlines the specific requirements agencies must adhere to when implementing a RIF, which are also outlined in the Partnership for Public Service’s fact sheet on reductions in force. A RIF action does not always result in separation. Individuals may be reassigned or downgraded but remain in federal service.  

Government shutdowns occur when Congress does not agree to pass and enact legislation to fund federal agencies on time. As such, they are temporary. Historically, mass federal workforce reductions have never been administered during a shutdown. 

During a shutdown, federal agencies must determine who in their workforce is exempt (has pay that does not rely on appropriations), excepted (will work without pay) or furloughed (will neither work nor receive pay). These determinations are based solely on programmatic and budgetary factors; they are not a marker of whether an employee and the work they do is “essential” or “nonessential.”

The current landscape: Reductions in force during a shutdown 

In September, an OMB memo directed agencies to use a government shutdown to consider RIFs for all “employees in programs, projects or activities” that lack discretionary or other sources of funding or are not “consistent with the president’s priorities.”  

Subsequent shutdown guidance from OPM states that once Congress enacts appropriations, agencies may revise their RIFs to retain “the minimal number of employees necessary to carry out statutory functions.” This guidance suggests a potential shift in the use of RIF actions from enacting longer term or permanent change to enacting more temporary restructuring.  

The administration has given two primary reasons for these reductions—both of which contradict typical RIF rules: 

1. To preserve funding for essential services. This argument ignores the fact that essential services cannot run without staff and that there are no immediate cost savings to separating personnel. Employees already work without pay during a shutdown, and in the long term, they will get paid once a new appropriations bill is passed.  

2. To better align the workforce with the president’s priorities. President Trump continues to say he will use the shutdown to “cut Democratic programs.” However, a president cannot unilaterally eliminate or cut programs that have been authorized and funded by Congress, and certainly not along partisan lines.  

Furthermore, numerous agencies have had to rehire federal employees after layoffs, calling into question the thoughtfulness and necessity of these actions.

Status of shutdown reduction-in-force actions, as of Oct. 28, 2025 

Five days after OMB Director Russell Vought’s RIF announcement, a U.S. district court judge barred the administration from moving forward with additional RIFs during or because of a government shutdown. The judge found that these actions were “both illegal and in excess of authority.”  

In response, the administration paused only a small number of RIFs, arguing that those who already received notices were not covered by the court order. We expect this issue to continue playing out in the courts.

Resources for impacted federal workers 

Federal employees experiencing a RIF can find various support resources with the You Are Not Alone Project, a joint initiative of the Partnership for Public Service, Democracy Forward’s Civil Service Strong and the American Federation of Government Employees.  

Also, federal workers who are unsure if they received a RIF notice during the shutdown may use their government equipment to check for information.  

Finally, the Partnership’s FedSupport Hub houses an array of RIF-related resources, including information on how RIFs work, on employee rights and benefits, and on unemployment benefits. The site also includes career assistance resources, videos and events. 

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