Trump administration officials have confirmed that large-scale layoffs in the federal government have begun.

Jin10 Data reported on October 11 that Russell Vought, the director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, announced on Friday that the Trump administration has begun laying off federal employees. Trump and Vought have repeatedly threatened to take the opportunity of a government shutdown to fire thousands of federal employees, whom Trump often refers to as members of the "deep state." Vought said when announcing the layoffs, "RIFs have begun." "Reductions in Force" (RIFs) are the latest blow to federal employees, with a reduction of 200,000 federal employees this year. According to a report from AXIOS, a spokesperson for the U.S. Office of Management and Budget confirmed that RIFs have begun and that the scale is significant. They did not specify which departments were affected. A government official recently stated that another 100,000 are expected to leave by the end of this year.