The federal government is hemorrhaging jobs as President Donald Trump unleashes a sweeping purge during an ongoing shutdown, one reminiscent of the cuts made amid Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative earlier this year, as the Daily Mail reports.

On Friday, Trump initiated a staggering wave of over 4,100 layoffs across multiple federal departments, a move framed by the White House as a hardball tactic to pressure Democrat lawmakers while the government has remained shuttered since the start of October 2025.

The shutdown, previewed by the White House before it began on Oct. 1, set the stage for this drastic action, with federal agencies instructed to prepare reduction-in-force plans well in advance.

Massive layoffs hit federal workforce

These plans, targeting programs with lapsed funding or those misaligned with presidential priorities, have now come to life, affecting departments like Treasury, which lost over 1,400 employees, and Health and Human Services, down by more than 1,100.

Housing and Urban Development shed over 400 workers, while Commerce, Education, Energy, Homeland Security, and the Environmental Protection Agency also face cuts, though specifics on impacted programs remain murky.

Adding to the chaos, around 750,000 federal employees are furloughed during this shutdown, a number that dwarfs the layoffs but underscores the scale of disruption.

Trump's strategy: Pressure through pink slips

The White House budget office isn’t shy about its intent, admitting these firings -- the largest since Musk’s earlier DOGE purge in Trump’s second term -- are meant to twist Democrats' arms.

Unlike typical shutdowns where furloughed workers often return with back pay, these layoffs carry a whiff of permanence, a departure from tradition that has Congress and unions on edge.

Trump himself hinted at the scope earlier in the week, warning of substantial job cuts that might not be reversed, signaling a no-holds-barred approach to this fiscal standoff.

Departments slashed, workers in limbo

Take the Education Department, where a labor union reports nearly all staff below director level in the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education are out, while only a handful face cuts in Communications and Outreach.

Over at Homeland Security, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, often criticized by Trump for its past work on misinformation, is being trimmed under the guise of getting “back on mission.”

Health workers at Health and Human Services and staff at the Environmental Protection Agency are also caught in the crossfire, though exact figures for these cuts remain undisclosed.

Political fallout, union pushback

The American Federation of Government Employees, representing many affected workers, isn’t taking this lying down, filing a lawsuit to block what they call an abuse of power by the Trump administration.

“It is disgraceful that the Trump administration has used the government shutdown as an excuse to illegally fire thousands of workers who provide critical services to communities across the country,” said AFGE President Everett Kelley, voicing the frustration of many.

Democrats echo this outrage, arguing the layoffs may violate legal norms, while talks to resolve the shutdown remain virtually nonexistent, leaving workers and services in a precarious limbo.