US Department of Health and Human Services employees have received layoff notices, a department spokesperson said on Friday, as President Donald Trump's administration begins mass layoffs of federal workers during a partial government shutdown.
The Office of Management and Budget has confirmed that reductions in federal staff have begun and are substantial.
Mick Mulvaney, acting director of the office, wrote on X that "The RIFs have begun," using the acronym for "Reductions in Force." The confirmation came shortly after his post.
The announcement follows comments made four days earlier by National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett.
Speaking in a CNBC interview, Hassett warned that President Donald Trump could "start taking sharp measures" if the partial government shutdown continued, citing the lack of a stopgap funding deal approved by Congress.
"HHS employees across multiple divisions have received reduction-in-force notices as a direct consequence of the Democrat-led government shutdown," the spokesperson said.
"All HHS employees receiving reduction-in-force notices were designated non-essential by their respective divisions. HHS continues to close wasteful and duplicative entities, including those that are at odds with the Trump administration's Make America Healthy Again agenda."
