US Sen. Mazie Hirono pictured in the US Capitol in July 2025. (Courtesy: Office of Sen. Mazie Hirono)
US Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaiʻi, has joined Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and several colleagues in introducing legislation that would prohibit the federal government from conducting layoffs during a government shutdown.
The measure, called the Securing Assurance for Federal Employees (SAFE) Act, would bar the use of reductions in force (RIFs) during a lapse in appropriations and reverse any RIF actions taken during the current government shutdown.
The legislation follows reports that the Office of Management and Budget had begun efforts to initiate thousands of RIFs during the ongoing shutdown—actions that a federal judge has called “politically motivated.” According to Data Foundation’s open-access RIFs tracker, an estimated than 4,278 to 4,388 federal employees have reportedly received RIF notices since early October before a court temporarily blocked the layoffs.
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Under current law, agencies are not permitted to conduct RIFs during a lapse in appropriations. The SAFE Act would make clear that such actions have no legal effect, so federal workers cannot be targeted for job cuts during a funding lapse.
The bill is backed by major labor organizations including the AFL-CIO, AFGE, AFSCME, NTEU, SEIU and others.
In addition to Hirono and Schumer, the legislation is co-sponsored by Sens. Mark Warner, D-Va.; Chris Van Hollen, D-Md.; Tim Kaine, D-Va.; Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md.; Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.; Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill.; Andy Kim, D-N.J.; and Ron Wyden, D-Ore.
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The full text of the legislation is available here.
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