White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a press briefing in Washington, D.C., U.S., October 1, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. government layoffs could be in the thousands, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday as the federal government began the second day of a shutdown.

(Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Caitlin Webber)