Trump Administration's Layoff Ban After Government Shutdown

Government Shutdown and Layoff Practices in the U.S.

San Francisco District Judge Illston temporarily halted the practice of announcing layoff notices, preparing federal agencies to issue them on October 10 with the aim of reducing the government's burden.

Criticism and Statement from Illston

Judge Illston accused the Republican administration of acting without adequately evaluating its decisions, stating, "We are ready in most of these programs, we're aiming, we're firing. There is a human cost to this, and that cost is intolerable."

Government Shutdown and Layoff Plans

Illston's temporary halt came immediately after the government shutdown that began on October 1. The American Federation of Government Employees and other unions had requested a ban that would prevent the administration from issuing new layoff notifications.

The U.S. government was planning to lay off over 4,100 employees from 8 federal agencies.

Reasons for Federal Government Shutdown

The federal government is currently shut down because Congress failed to approve the 2025 fiscal year budget by the night of September 30. This marks the first occurrence of a shutdown since 2019.

Democrats are demanding an extension of health insurance subsidies and a reversal of Medicaid cuts, while Republicans advocate for a budget bill to be passed without changes to current spending levels.

Consequences of the Federal Government Shutdown

Under American law, if Congress cannot approve the budget, it must cover the gap with temporary budgets. Otherwise, the federal government loses its spending authority and halts all activities except for essential services.

During this process, public employees working in "non-essential" services are placed on unpaid leave, while personnel working for the U.S. military, intelligence agencies, and other critical services continue to work.