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The Trump administration has continued to slash the federal workforce, and as the federal government shutdown persists, thousands of workers are receiving termination notices. Millions of government employees were instructed not to return to work when the shutdown began two weeks ago, or work without pay until the government reopened. But thousands were surprised Friday morning when the White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought announced on social media that reductions in force had begun, and they would never be returning to work.
“This is a man that has, since probably his childhood, been dreaming of a day that he could lay off federal workers,” Congressman Marc Veasey said at a press conference hosted by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE). “That is shameful. There are a lot of things that are happening right now out there in the federal workforce that really do need to be investigated.”
Seven departments have confirmed reductions in force: the Commerce Department, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Homeland Security, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Education, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Treasury Department. The layoffs total 4,100 nationwide. It’s unknown how many in Dallas were affected, but according to Veasey, there are more than 130,000 federal employees in Texas.
“You cannot reduce the paycheck, and pause the paycheck or stop the paycheck of over 130,000 people, including full-time and contractor work, and think it’s not going to have an impact on our local economy because it absolutely is,” said Veasey.
Government union leaders and local Democratic members of Congress are hoping that the chirping crickets will leave the Capitol and the Republicans will return so that the shutdown can end and federal agencies can begin working again, primarily within the EPA.
“Americans who keep our air and water safe should never be weaponized by this president or any member of his administration. … The furloughs are part of an organized strategy to reduce environmental safeguards through attacks on the men and women who maintain these protections,” said Congresswoman Julie Johnson. “Republicans and Congress must come to the table to get the government back up and running and to ensure the health and safety of every American.”
Pollution Does Not Stop When the Lights Go Out
The EPA was one of the earliest targets when layoffs first began in the earliest days of the presidential transition of power, and Justin Chen, who represents 5,000 EPA employees within the AFGE, says he’s tired of the administration using his colleagues as a “bargaining chip.”
“EPA workers signed up to protect Americans’ access to clean air and clean water, not to have our livelihoods threatened every time there’s gridlock in Washington, especially when there’s a unified government, supposedly,” he said.
Federal employees who were not furloughed are expected to work and do so without pay. But Chen says federal workers who weren’t earmarked as “essential” still have vital jobs to do.
“The work that we all do is essential and should be treated as such because nobody wants to breathe in dirty air, drink contaminated water, or live on contaminated soil that will kill them,” Chen said. “Secondly, pollution and climate emergencies don’t stop because of a government shutdown. This is not work that can be put on hold without risking health and safety of our communities.”
The gravity of EPA layoffs is felt heavily in Dallas. In 2024, the agency launched a new air quality improvement plan to reduce climate pollution in North Texas. The EPA also played a crucial role in investigating pollution from an industrial plant that disproportionately affected low-income minorities in Joppa.
Chen highlighted the importance of EPA workers and the whittling of morale that the administration has done.
“The bottom line remains the same, civil servants should not be used as political pawns in this battle, and that EPA workers and the rest of the federal government and all workers deserve better than what we’ve been given at this time,” he said.
How We Got Here
On Oct. 1, the federal government reached a deadlock over partisan spending bills. With neither party able to reach an agreement, the government’s approved budget dried up.
“It’s really shocking, a complete animus and lack of regard that the administration has towards our federal workforce,” Johnson said to the Observer when the shutdown began. “Our federal workforce keeps our government going, and we need a functioning American government.”
The shutdown will not end until both parties can approve a spending bill, but Democrats have held strong on prioritizing healthcare initiatives, and Republicans have left the capital city, keeping the government at a standstill.
Chen says the two, environmentalism and health care programming, are inextricably tied, and that laid-off EPA workers and Democrats want the same thing: a healthy America.
“The core of the EPA’s mission is protecting human health, and there’s no doubt that part of ensuring we have a healthy country means ensuring Americans have access to health care,” said Chen.
