During the government shutdown, several federal employee unions, including the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), filed lawsuits aiming to block mass layoffs they argue are illegal. The unions contend that the Trump administration is using the shutdown as a pretext to terminate thousands of federal workers who deliver essential services nationwide.

Everett Kelley, national president of AFGE, strongly condemned the move, calling it “disgraceful” and asserting that the layoffs violate legal protections for federal employees. The AFGE, representing over 800,000 members, is the largest federal employee union in the country and is leading the legal pushback against the administration’s actions.

Russ Vought, a key figure in the administration, has consistently championed efforts to reduce the federal workforce and cut costs. Since the beginning of Trump’s second term, Vought has pursued aggressive budgetary reductions, aligning with the broader administration goal of shrinking the size and scope of the federal government.

The shutdown began after a bipartisan spending bill failed to pass the Senate, with most Democrats voting against it. Despite multiple attempts by Senate Majority Leader John Thune to advance the bill, Democrats have held firm, repeatedly rejecting it over concerns about insufficient funding for their legislative priorities.

Central to the deadlock is the Democrats’ demand for $1.5 trillion in new spending on progressive initiatives. They also want to limit the president’s power to rescind previously allocated funds, a condition Republicans have rejected outright, branding the proposal as “dead on arrival.”

President Trump has openly acknowledged that the administration’s spending cuts are targeted at Democrat-supported programs. In a Cabinet meeting, he emphasized that only these programs would be cut, reflecting a partisan approach to budget reductions and intensifying tensions between the executive branch and Congressional Democrats.