The White House said Friday it had started laying off federal workers, following through on a threat to carry out reductions in force (RIFs) amid an ongoing government shutdown.

"The RIFs have begun," Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought posted on social platform X.

An OMB spokesperson confirmed the layoffs had started "and they are substantial." But they did not provide information on how many employees or which agencies were impacted.

The White House had previously suggested the number of employees targeted for layoffs could be in the thousands. An administration official confirmed the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Housing and Urban Development were among the agencies affected.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said in a statement that employees "across multiple divisions" had received notices about reductions in force "as a direct consequence of the Democrat-led........

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