The federal government shutdown, now stretching into its third week, has unleashed a wave of chaos, uncertainty, and hardship across the country. What began as a political standoff over health care policy has escalated into something far more disruptive: mass layoffs of federal employees, confusion over paychecks, and a growing sense of unease among millions of Americans who rely on government services or work for federal agencies.
On October 13, 2025, House Speaker Mike Johnson found himself in the hot seat during a press conference when asked about the Trump administration’s sweeping layoffs—particularly those gutting the Department of Education’s special education division. Johnson admitted, “I haven’t seen the specifics of that and I don’t know,” explaining that he had been too busy to dig into the details of each division. He added, “Each of the Cabinet secretaries were asked to assist OMB to determine what the most essential programs are, and what the priorities are for the policies and all of that.” According to USA Today, the details Johnson overlooked are now coming to light, and they paint a troubling picture for the nation’s most vulnerable students.
Rachel Gittleman, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, issued a stark warning: “We believe that all remaining offices in Office of Special Education + Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), incl. the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) + the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA), have been eliminated.” The Education Department reportedly laid off nearly all employees responsible for administering funding through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)—a law that provides critical grants to states, schools, and nonprofits.
For fiscal year 2025, the Biden administration had requested $14.4 billion for these grants, including $545 million for the Grants for Infants and Families program. But now, with the layoffs, the future of that funding—and the services it supports—appears uncertain. Secretary Linda McMahon, who oversaw the cuts, has floated the idea of moving the office to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Meanwhile, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at HHS has drawn attention for his controversial views on autism, raising further concerns among disability advocates.
The layoffs are part of a broader reduction in force: the Education Department alone let go of 466 employees, while the Trump administration’s actions affected about 4,200 federal jobs across agencies. According to a court filing cited by States Newsroom, the breakdown includes 315 at Commerce, 187 at Energy, between 1,100 and 1,200 at HHS, 442 at Housing and Urban Development, 176 at Homeland Security, 1,446 at Treasury, and 20 to 30 at the Environmental Protection Agency, with other agencies still weighing their options. Layoffs at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) are part of efforts to “get CISA back on mission,” a Homeland Security spokesperson said.
Unlike previous shutdowns, where workers were furloughed and expected to return when funding was restored, this time the Trump administration has opted for mass layoffs—Reductions in Force (RIFs)—a move labor unions call unprecedented. “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 Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees. The union, along with the AFL-CIO and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, has filed a lawsuit challenging the legality of these layoffs and seeking a temporary restraining order. “In AFGE’s 93 years of existence under several presidential administrations—including during Trump’s first term—no president has ever decided to fire thousands of furloughed workers during a government shutdown,” Kelley emphasized.
Confusion has only deepened as a coding error led to thousands of federal employees, including staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), receiving mistaken layoff notices. As reported by Digi24 and CBS News, more than 4,000 workers from seven agencies got false notices last Friday. Andrew Nixon, a representative for HHS, explained, “Employees who received incorrect notices were never separated from the agency and were informed that they were not affected by the staff reduction.” The mistake added unnecessary stress to an already fraught situation, with many workers not having been paid since the shutdown began on October 1. “We are not in a good mood,” Johnson remarked, noting that October 10 marked the first day employees missed their full salaries.
The standoff in Congress shows no sign of ending soon. The Senate has rejected both Republican and Democratic spending proposals multiple times, and lawmakers are not expected to reconvene until October 14. Meanwhile, the financial impacts of the shutdown are set to escalate. Military troops, who have continued working without pay, are at risk of missing their first paychecks on October 15. The Trump administration, pressed by congressional Republicans, is working on a plan to pay troops despite the impasse. “We are so very grateful that President Trump, again, showing strong leadership, has stepped up to ensure that our troops are going to be paid on October 15, while we wait for Democrats to stop holding the country hostage,” Johnson told reporters, according to Bloomberg.
But the pain isn’t limited to federal workers and the military. Americans who rely on the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) are now receiving notices of rising insurance premiums, as subsidies first enacted during the Covid-19 pandemic begin to expire. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that making those subsidies permanent would cost $350 billion over ten years. With open enrollment for health coverage starting November 1, Democrats insist that any deal to reopen the government must include an extension of the subsidies. Republicans, however, have said they will negotiate only after the government reopens. Notices of higher premiums are already causing cracks in GOP unity, as some Republicans face pressure from constituents.
President Trump has so far ignored Democratic requests to negotiate, and bipartisan talks have failed to produce a path forward. Trump has signaled that if Democrats don’t help Republicans pass a stopgap funding bill, the layoffs will continue and “a lot of those jobs will never come back.” He has also floated the idea of not providing back pay for furloughed federal employees, though no final decision has been made. The administration has even canceled $8 billion in federal investments in 223 energy projects, drawing sharp rebukes from Democratic senators, who warned that the cancellations would mean thousands of lost jobs and greater economic uncertainty.
The shutdown has thus become more than a political battle—it’s a source of real hardship for Americans across the spectrum. Essential programs are being obliterated, workers are left in limbo, and the nation’s most vulnerable citizens face an uncertain future. As the days drag on, the consequences only deepen, with no clear end in sight.
Each passing day of the shutdown brings new challenges and exposes the high stakes of political brinkmanship, leaving millions to wonder when, or if, stability will return to Washington—and to their own lives.
