federal workforce – The Interfaith Intrepid

RIF Notices and Shutdowns: How the Trump Administration Could Exploit Shutdowns to Bypass Federal Employee Protections

a sad face of an elderly man fired from his work

The 2025 federal government shutdown has already created widespread uncertainty for civil servants and military personnel alike, but a newly theorized scenario could make the situation even more precarious: using the shutdown as justification to ignore statutory RIF (Reduction in Force) notice periods. Typically, federal employees facing a RIF are entitled to 60 days’ advanceContinue reading “RIF Notices and Shutdowns: How the Trump Administration Could Exploit Shutdowns to Bypass Federal Employee Protections”

RIFs, Shutdowns, and the Coming Exodus: Why the Federal Workforce Could Face a Great Resignation 2.0

woman in red white and black plaid shirt covering her face

The 2025 federal government shutdown is no longer just a political standoff — it is now a structural stress test for the U.S. federal workforce, with confirmed RIFs (Reductions in Force) already underway and backpay for furloughed employees still uncertain. Together, these developments are creating conditions that could trigger what many might call a “GreatContinue reading “RIFs, Shutdowns, and the Coming Exodus: Why the Federal Workforce Could Face a Great Resignation 2.0”

When a Shutdown Becomes a Purge: How the 2025 Government Shutdown Is Reshaping the Bureaucracy

computer tied with a black and yellow tape

The 2025 government shutdown is unlike any prior shutdown in U.S. history. While most shutdowns temporarily halt government operations and furlough non-essential employees, the current crisis appears to be functioning as a strategic bureaucratic purge. On October 10, the administration announced that reductions in force (RIFs) had officially begun, signaling the start of a massContinue reading “When a Shutdown Becomes a Purge: How the 2025 Government Shutdown Is Reshaping the Bureaucracy”

The RIF Test: How the 2025 Shutdown Is Reshaping Federal Law and the Constitution

The 2025 government shutdown is not merely a political impasse; it is a stress test of the very foundations of federal employment law and, perhaps more dangerously, of the constitutional framework that governs the executive branch. On October 10, the administration announced that reductions in force (RIFs) had officially begun, setting into motion a cascadeContinue reading “The RIF Test: How the 2025 Shutdown Is Reshaping Federal Law and the Constitution”

When the Law Might Not Be Enough: How the 2025 Government Shutdown Could Threaten Federal Workers’ Back Pay

The 2025 federal government shutdown has placed hundreds of thousands of federal employees in an incredibly precarious situation. While the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act (GEFTA) was enacted in 2019 to ensure that workers furloughed or required to work without pay would receive retroactive compensation once a shutdown concludes, the political and legal landscape ofContinue reading “When the Law Might Not Be Enough: How the 2025 Government Shutdown Could Threaten Federal Workers’ Back Pay”