Layoffs of federal employees officially began Friday as the U.S. government shutdown entered another tense phase, according to Trump administration budget chief Russell Vought, who confirmed the sweeping reductions in a social media post.

"The RIFs have begun," Vought announced on X, using the acronym for "Reductions in Force."

The Gateway Pundit reported last week that President Donald Trump met with Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, a key architect of the Project 2025 blueprint, to determine which federal agencies, deemed by Trump as "political SCAM Democrat Agencies," should face cuts and whether those cuts will be temporary or permanent.