What is a Reduction-in-Force (RIF)?
A Reduction-in-Force (RIF) is when a government permanently eliminates some positions. This causes people to lose their jobs. This is different from when government employees stop working temporarily. That is called a furlough. This is also different from when the government stops hiring. That is called a “hiring freeze”.
A RIF reduces the federal capacity to deliver essential services.
What’s happening now?
On Friday, October 10, 2025, the Administration issued RIF notices to about 4,100 employees. This was across several agencies. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is part of the government that helps the President put their policy agendas in place. They have said that more than 10,000 federal employees could be laid off during this shutdown. You may have heard of employees “getting RIF-ed”. This is what that is referring to.
On Wednesday, October 15, 2025 a federal judged stopped these RIFs. The judge called them “unlawful”
Impact on Special Education
Disability offices at the Department of Education (DOE) have been heavily affected by the RIFs, including:
- The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS)
- The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP)
- The Office for Civil Rights (OCR)
- The Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA)
These offices are very important for disabled students. They make sure that these students get the right accommodations in school. They also help adults with disabilities access training and support to join and stay in the workforce.
Why this matters
The loss of staff in these offices results in real harm for disabled people. The large amounts of layoffs at the DOE will make it much more difficult for people with disabilities to:
- Access special education services guaranteed by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
- Get reasonable accommodations in educational settings,
- Secure vocational rehabilitation and employment supports, and;
- Receive civil rights protections against discrimination in educational settings
The Office for Civil Rights investigates when students with disabilities are refused education. For example, in 2018, the DOE found that Texas had violated the IDEA. Texas was capping the number of students who could receive special education services. OCR worked with Texas to make a plan. This plan made sure students with disabilities had access to education. OCR also kept track of if the plan was put into place. Students with disabilities would have lost access to education were it not for this work.
This RIFs are part of a long-term plan by the Administration to shut down the Department of Education. This effort has been ongoing since the beginning of this year.
Impact on Mental Health
The RIFs go beyond the Department of Education. Agencies such as SAMHSA, CDC, and HUD have also been affected. All of these agencies offer essential health and housing assistance. At SAMHSA, the impact is especially concerning. SAMHSA oversees programs that directly support people with mental health disabilities. As well as people with substance use disabilities, including:
- The Protection & Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness (PAIMI) Program,
- The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, and;
- National initiatives supporting mental health and addiction treatment.
This nation is already facing a mental health crisis. Reducing SAMSHA’s capacity endangers the stability and safety of millions. SAMSHA’s work is extremely important. They improve outcomes, expand access, and help build a better system for mental health. Programs like these help prevent over-reliance on hospital settings. They make sure that people with disabilities can access the community-based supports they need to live and thrive.
For example, within the cuts to SAMHSA, the Children’s Branch was eliminated. The Children’s Branch helps to support school-based mental health services for children. This includes children with dually diagnosed disabilities and mental health conditions. Schools are the primary place where kids and youth receive mental health support. Especially youth with disabilities. This is because of the lack of accessible mental health services more broadly.
Impact on Early Intervention
Some employees who worked in the Office of Early Childhood Development were laid off. These employees were working on Preschool Development Grants from Birth to Five. This office was a part of the Administration for Children and Families (ACF). These grants were to states so they could help children with disabilities. Without funding services like this, fewer children will be diagnosed. This makes it harder to get treatment, and even for special education.
Impact on Housing
The HUD Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity investigates and enforces violations of fair housing laws. In just one example of their work, HUD intervened for a disabled veteran in Maine when he was turned away from renting an apartment because he had a service animal. This type of everyday work to prohibit discrimination against people with disabilities cannot happen without staff. The majority of the staff in both the national and regional offices of Fair Housing and Equality Opportunity have been laid off.
Many communities with smaller populations around the country have used Section 108 loans from HUD’s Office of Community Planning and Development to build large affordable housing communities. High Point, North Carolina, used this funding multiple times to build hundreds of affordable homes for low-income families, many of whom were families with a disabled loved one. But today, there are only two people left on the team that runs and supports this program for the entire country.
RIFs and the Government Shutdown
The administration had previously threatened to issue RIFs in the event of a government shutdown. However, it is essential to understand that a government shutdown does not automatically result in permanent reductions in the federal workforce. The current RIFs are not a result of the shutdown and are being challenged in court. These RIFs are a part of an existing long-term strategy to eliminate certain federal agencies that has been in motion since the beginning of the year.
What’s next
Disability rights advocates, federal worker unions, and legal experts challenged these RIFs in court, arguing that they violate federal workforce protections and surpass the administration’s authority. As noted above, a federal judge issued an emergency order to stop the layoffs while the legal challenge proceeds. The Trump administration will appeal this emergency order, and the matter is likely to end up before the Supreme Court. AAPD will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide updates as they become available.