WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House budget office said Friday that mass firings of federal workers have started in an attempt to exert more pressure on Democratic lawmakers as the government shutdown continues.

Russ Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, said on the social media site X that the “RIFs have begun,” referring to reduction-in-force plans aimed at reducing the size of the federal government.

A spokesperson for the budget office said the reductions are “substantial” but did not offer more immediate details.

The U.S. Capitol is silhouetted by the stark glare of the morning sun as a government shutdown begins its tenth day, in Washington, Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (J. Scott Applewhite | AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

The White House previewed that it woul

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