October 12, 2025 - The Trump administration sent layoff notices to thousands of employees across the executive branch Friday, according to a document filed with a federal court.

Nearly 200 Energy Department employees received layoff notices, and dozens of EPA employees were notified they could be laid off, according to the document filed with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

The filing represents the Trump administration’s most detailed public accounting of its layoff plans across the federal workforce — a move the administration has blamed on the government shutdown. Critics of the administration contend that it is unlawfully using the shutdown as a pretext for layoffs.

Unions have asked the California district court to issue a temporary restraining order to block the administration from using the funding lapse as an opportunity to pursue mass layoffs of government workers.

About 187 employees at the Energy Department received layoff notices Friday, the court filing says. About 20 to 30 EPA employees received an “intent to RIF” notice telling them they may be affected by layoffs in the future, says the filing.