The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is moving ahead with planned reductions in force (RIFs), even after a federal judge filed a preliminary injunction aimed at blocking many of the layoffs.
According to a Tuesday court filing from Madhu Gottumukkala, CISA’s acting director, the agency issued RIF notices to 54 employees on Oct. 11.
Weeks later, a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction that blocked RIF notices received after Sept. 30. That decision came after a group of unions filed a lawsuit following threats from the Trump administration to layoff thousands of federal employees if Democrats did not vote to reopen the federal government.
Nevertheless, CISA says it is in compliance with the court order, explaining that the Oct. 11 layoffs were planned and do not involve union-represented employees.
The court filing accounts for the 54 layoffs within CISA’s Stakeholder Engagement Division, which Gottumukkala said are not protected by the court’s injunction.
At least 4,000 employees represented by the unions involved in the lawsuit have received RIF notices since the start of the government shutdown.
The layoffs mark an unprecedented step in government shutdowns, which until now have never resulted in permanent job cuts.