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Former federal employees join Democrats to rally against coming RIFs

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2 days ago

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Now in the third week of the partial government shutdown, tensions are rising rapidly over the impending wave of reductions in force across federal agencies.

In the aftermath of several agencies’ RIF announcements late last week, federal employees joined with Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday in Washington, D.C., to blast the planned layoffs.

With a view of the Office of Management and Budget’s main office building behind her, Jessica Weinberg, a former employee at the Food and Drug Administration, spoke to reporters among a crowd of current and former federal employees.

“I feel for my colleagues, those who received RIF notices over the weekend, folks from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and the Health Resources and Services Administration, among others — people who come in every day just wanting to protect the public,” said Weinberg, who was laid off in April as part of HHS’ first round of RIFs. “And for those people who are still working, trying to do their jobs while being told that their work is either not valuable or too political, neither are true.”

Across agencies, more than 4,000 federal employees were informed on Friday that they would be laid off in two months’ time. The layoff announcements came after OMB, just before the shutdown began, told agencies to draft RIF plans for programs that wouldn’t have alternative funding sources, or that weren’t aligned with President Donald Trump’s priorities.

At Tuesday’s press conference, Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) called OMB’s assertion that the shutdown is causing the Trump administration to fire federal employees “a big fat lie.”

“It is also illegal and we will see them in court,” Van Hollen added.

About a dozen Senate and House Democrats joined federal employees at the press conference to condemn the RIFs that are now underway and impacting thousands of federal employees.

Similar to many of the lawmakers who spoke at Tuesday’s event, Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-Va.) voiced his appreciation for the federal workforce.

“I had conversation after conversation after conversation with federal workers, some who had been fired months ago over the course of the nine-month assault that they’ve experienced, some who are still on the job, doing their best to serve the American people,” Walkinshaw said.

Congress is currently at a standstill on budget negotiations. The Republican-led House is refusing to return to session, with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) saying he has nothing to negotiate with Democrats until they vote to reopen the government.

The Senate is simultaneously stuck in a loop of failed votes to reopen the government as Democrats demand healthcare funds as part of an appropriations agreement.

Federal employee RIFs are so far expected to take place at the departments of Commerce, Education, Energy and Treasury, as well as the departments of Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, and Housing and Urban Development — with more layoff announcements likely on the way.

OMB on Tuesday vowed to “batten down the hatches” and move forward with further layoffs as the shutdown continues.

“Pay the troops, pay law enforcement, continue the RIFs, and wait,” OMB said in a social media post on X.

Conducting RIFs during a government shutdown is unprecedented. Typically, a portion of the federal workforce will get furloughed during a funding lapse, but employees have always been reinstated and provided back pay.

A 2019 law ensures both excepted and furloughed employees receive retroactive pay after shutdowns end, but OMB is now suggesting that back pay may be withheld for furloughed employees. Johnson has said he still hopes furloughed federal employees receive back pay.

In shutdown guidance from September, the Office of Personnel Management told agencies that any work on RIFs should be considered “excepted activities” that can continue during a government shutdown.

But Rob Shriver, managing director of the Civil Service Strong program at Democracy Forward, argued that it’s unlawful for RIFs to occur during a shutdown. RIF-related work does not fall into one of the defined categories of what work should be “excepted” in a funding lapse, Shriver said, and therefore it should not occur at agencies during a funding lapse.

“The fundamental nature of a shutdown is money has not been appropriated for normal government operations. Workforce restructuring, reorganizations — all the things that are the basis of a RIF — that’s not essential, that’s just part of normal government operations,” Shriver, OPM’s former acting director during the Biden administration, told Federal News Network at Tuesday’s press conference. “And when you are in a shutdown because there are no appropriations, you simply cannot engage in things that aren’t in one of those excepted categories.”

On behalf of the American Federation of Government Employees and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Democracy Forward is currently suing the Trump administration over the administration’s RIF actions. The lawsuit alleges that OMB’s RIF directive violates both the Anti-deficiency Act and the Administrative Procedure Act.

In the lawsuit, the two unions filed a motion for a preliminary injunction, attempting to temporarily block the pending RIFs while the court case continues. A district court judge is expected to hear legal arguments on Wednesday and will likely provide a decision on the unions’ motion at that time.

It’s yet to be seen what the U.S. District Court will decide on the unions’ motion for the new RIF actions. But a court decision back in May granted a preliminary injunction on agencies’ first round of RIFs this year. The Supreme Court, however, subsequently cleared the way for the Trump administration to proceed with widespread layoffs in July.

“No matter what happens, we will continue to fight these illegal RIFs. We’ll fight them tomorrow. We’ll fight them next week. We’ll fight them two months from now, two years from now — as long as it takes,” Shriver said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The post Former federal employees join Democrats to rally against coming RIFs first appeared on Federal News Network.

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‘Trump’s Favorite Democrat’: Pennsylvania Dems Start Planning Senator John Fetterman’s Ouster

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21 hours ago

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October 17, 2025

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Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Pennsylvania Democrats are reportedly planning the ouster of Senator John Fetterman in the 2028 elections.

Fetterman, who won his Senate race in 2022 against Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz, has become a thorn in the side of some Democrats who perceive him as too moderate for their liking.

While Fetterman’s views mostly align with those of the Democratic Party, he has taken a vocal stand on the matter of Israel’s war in Gaza and shown a willingness to work with the Trump administration.

Yet Axios reports that many Democrats are already on maneuvers.

Their report states:

Top Democrats in Pennsylvania are maneuvering to run against Sen. John Fetterman in a 2028 primary contest, threatening to tear the party apart in the biggest battleground state in the nation.

Democrats haven’t flipped a GOP Senate seat since Fetterman did it in 2022. He’s still popular with Pennsylvania voters, even as Democrats turn on him over his softened approach to President Trump.

Potential Democratic challengers are already bashing Fetterman — and each other — years ahead of schedule.

Some Democratic officials are openly contemplating running against Fetterman or keeping the door open to a Senate bid in the event he retires.

Fetterman’s most important contribution involves improving civil discourse, insisting that he will not follow the lead of fellow Democrats in calling Trump and Republicans fascists.

Sen. John Fetterman Says Democrats Need to ‘Turn The Temperature Down’ and Stop Calling Republicans Fascists (VIDEO)

He said during an event this week:

I know and I love people who voted for President Trump. They are NOT fascists, they’re NOT Nazis, they’re NOT trying to destroy the Constitution. I REFUSE to call people Nazis or fascists. I would never compare anybody — anybody to Hitler.

Like Charlie Kirk, all I could say is let people grieve — give people the space. I’m not going to use that terrible thing and that assassination to make my argument and try to put out my views.”

It’s like, my God, he’s a father that had his neck blown out by a bullet. And now people have forgotten: President Trump was in my state — was shot in the head. Could you imagine where our nation would be if he were hit in the same way as Kirk? We really got to turn the temperature down,.

Watch the clip below:

The post ‘Trump’s Favorite Democrat’: Pennsylvania Dems Start Planning Senator John Fetterman’s Ouster appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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NEW: Appeals Court Upholds Biden Judge’s Block on Trump Troop Deployment in Chicago

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21 hours ago

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October 17, 2025

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A federal appeals court on Thursday upheld a Biden judge’s block on Trump’s National Guard troop deployment to Chicago.

A federal judge last Thursday issued a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) blocking President Trump’s National Guard deployment in Chicago.

US District Judge April Perry, a Biden appointee, said Trump’s troop deployment violates the Posse Comitatus Act as well as the 10th and 14th Amendments.

President Trump mobilized Texas National Guard Troops and sent them to Chicago to protect ICE agents from violent far-left Antifa terrorists.

“The National Guard’s mission in Chicago is to protect federal lives and property that are facing constant criminal assault. The guard protecting DHS is activated under *federal control* and therefore, like any federal troops, can emanate from any state if such resources prove necessary to DHS (the way troops are pulled from any base). They are operating as a federal force protecting federal assets,” White House Advisor Stephen Miller said.

Last Saturday, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals lifted Judge Perry’s Temporary Restraining Order on Trump’s mobilization of National Guard Troops.

However, the Seventh Circuit left in place Judge Perry’s block on troop deployment in a one-page order.

Now this…

On Thursday, the Seventh Circuit unanimously upheld Judge Perry’s order blocking President Trump’s troop deployment.

The three-judge panel included: Rovner (George H. W. Bush), Hamilton (Obama) and St. Eve (George W. Bush).

The appeals court judges agreed with Judge Perry’s assertion that there was “insufficient evidence of rebellion or a danger of a rebellion.”

The judicial coup continues.

Judge Karin Immergut, a Trump appointee, recently blocked President Trump’s National Guard deployment to Portland.

Last Wednesday, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously voted to lift Judge Immergut’s Temporary Restraining Order on Trump’s mobilization of Oregon National Guard Troops.

However, the Ninth Circuit left in place Judge Immergut’s block on troop deployment.

The post NEW: Appeals Court Upholds Biden Judge’s Block on Trump Troop Deployment in Chicago appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Victor Reacts: Bad Guests Get Asked to Leave! – Student Visas Are Not a Right (VIDEO)

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21 hours ago

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October 17, 2025

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Person speaking in front of a neutral background discusses the State Department's visa revocation for foreigners celebrating Charlie Kirk's murder.

People who are in our country as guests with student visas should be on their best behavior.

They should honor the fact that they have been allowed to come to this country and not go around acting foolish or causing trouble.

Instead, some visa holders decided to celebrate the death of Charlie Kirk.

The Gateway Pundit reported,

The State Department has started revoking visas for foreigners found to have celebrated the murder of Charlie Kirk.

Following Kirk’s brutal assassination during a speaking event at Utah Valley University last month, many leftists took to social media to celebrate his death.

Some of those individuals happened to be guests in the United States.

In a post on the X platform, the State Department said it had “no obligation to host foreigners who wish death on Americans.”

“The State Department continues to identify visa holders who celebrated the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk,” the department wrote.

“President Trump and Secretary Rubio will defend our borders, our culture, and our citizens by enforcing our immigration laws,” they added.

“Aliens who take advantage of America’s hospitality while celebrating the assassination of our citizens will be removed.”

The State Department is absolutely right to ask bad guests to leave.

If you invited me to stay at your home as a guest, and I decided to mock the recent passing of your loved one, you would surely revoke my invitation to stay there.

Visas are no different. If they are going to cause trouble and be a bad guest they should be asked to leave.

22 CFR § 42.82:

“A consular officer, the Secretary, or any Department official to whom the Secretary has delegated this authority is authorized to revoke an immigrant visa at any time, in his or her discretion.”

The Secretary of State has the full legal authority to do this.

The post Victor Reacts: Bad Guests Get Asked to Leave! – Student Visas Are Not a Right (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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