The piece contends the administration used the government shutdown as cover to fire more than 4,000 civil servants, explicitly targeting programs favored by the opposition. Deploying RIF authority in a funding lapse becomes a tool to permanently weaken parts of the state while avoiding a legislative fight.
— If normalized, this playbook lets presidents dismantle agencies by attrition, raising acute separation‑of‑powers and rule‑of‑law concerns.
by Lisa Riordan Seville, Andy Kroll, Katie Campbell and Mauricio Rodríguez Pons
2025.10.17
75% relevant
It credits Vought with leading Trump’s 2025 shutdown and mass federal layoffs, illustrating how a funding lapse can be used to execute broad personnel cuts and structural dismantling without new statutes.
Chris Bray
2025.10.16
84% relevant
The piece centers on Judge Susan Illston issuing a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump administration’s reduction‑in‑force layoffs during the shutdown—directly intersecting with the claim that the administration used the shutdown to purge more than 4,000 civil servants.
Don Kettl
2025.10.15
100% relevant
OMB Director Russell Vought’s post 'The RIFs have begun' and Trump saying the firings would be 'Democrat‑oriented' and that targeted programs 'are never going to come back.'