A U.S. judge has halted the White House’s attempt to lay off thousands of federal employees during the ongoing government shutdown, even as a senior administration official suggested more than 10,000 workers could be let go.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought have expressed eagerness to use the government shutdown – which began 1 October and shows little sign of ending soon – to lay off federal workers, continuing the administration’s aim to shrink the federal workforce. Prior to the shutdown, Vought sent a memo to departments and agencies stating that they can issue reduction in force (RIF) notices to employees who don’t align with “the President’s priorities.” Trump has also publicly stated that “Democrat Agencies” would be targeted for staffing and program cuts during the shutdown.
The federal government had already issued RIFs for thousands of employees in the first two weeks of October, and a federal court filing from 14 October showed that roughly 600 U.S. Department of Commerce employees had received RIF notices. The Trump administration has not provided any clarity on who would be laid off or how many NOAA Fisheries employees would be impacted.
The administration also did not offer any details on the hundreds of NOAA Fisheries employees laid off in February, only providing limited details in response to a Freedom of Information Act request filed by a conservation group. The February layoffs resulted in many fish biologists, management specialists, and other fisheries staff being removed, leaving NOAA Fisheries science centers with substantially reduced employment levels. Experts have warned that the layoffs are impacting NOAA Fisheries’ ability to conduct its tasks effectively.
In a 15 October appearance on “The Charlie Kirk Show,” Vought said the administration was aiming to lay off thousands more as the shutdown continues.
“I think we’ll probably end up being north of 10,000,” he said. “We’re going to keep those RIFs rolling throughout this shutdown because we think it’s important.”
However, a government employee union sued to stop the spree of layoffs, and a federal judge has provided the group a momentary victory. On 15 October, U.S. District Court Judge Susan Yvonne Illston issued a temporary restraining order blocking Trump and Vought from firing federal employees.
“This is unprecedented in our country’s history,” Illston said in her opinion. “It is also far from normal for an administration to fire line-level civilian employees during a government shutdown as a way to punish the opposing political party. But, this is precisely what President Trump has announced he is doing.”
Illston has scheduled a hearing for 28 October to decide whether to keep the restraining order in place.
The Trump administration has pushed to cut NOAA Fisheries staff and budget throughout the first several months of his second term. In its budget request for fiscal year 2026, the administration proposed cutting NOAA’s workforce by 17 percent.
