The 2025 federal government shutdown is not merely a standoff over funding; it is fast becoming a laboratory for bureaucratic manipulation, where the normal rules of civil service employment are being tested and, in some cases, exploited. Among the most striking possibilities emerging is the use of Leave Without Pay (LWOP) and administrative leave duringContinue reading “The Bureaucratic Purge: How the Shutdown Could Weaponize Leave Policies”
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The LWOP Purge: How the Shutdown Could Weaponize Federal Leave
The 2025 federal government shutdown is no ordinary standoff over appropriations. Beyond furloughs and halted operations lies a subtler, more insidious tactic: the potential use of Leave Without Pay (LWOP) to sideline federal employees during the 60-day notice period mandated for Reductions in Force (RIFs). While the law requires that employees receive notice before beingContinue reading “The LWOP Purge: How the Shutdown Could Weaponize Federal Leave”
When a Shutdown Becomes a Purge: How the 2025 Government Shutdown Is Reshaping the Bureaucracy
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”