On the first day of a government shutdown, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office announced that it will close one of its regional offices and lay off employees.<\/p>\n
USPTO announced Wednesday<\/a> that it will permanently close the Rocky Mountain Regional Outreach Office in Denver, Colorado.<\/p>\n In an email obtained by Federal News Network, John Squires, USPTO director and the under secretary of commerce for intellectual property, told employees that the agency will undergo a reduction in force.<\/p>\n Squires told employees that the reduction in force \u201cis intended to focus resources on core operations and is not a reflection of anyone\u2019s service, performance or conduct.\u201d<\/p>\n ]]><\/p>\n \u201cKnow that the decisions behind the changes announced were made after full and careful deliberation and the actions were taken with the utmost consideration for our workforce, stakeholders, and to be in full alignment with both the agency\u2019s unique mission and the dynamic future that lies ahead,\u201d Squires wrote.<\/p>\n Federal News Network has reached out to USPTO for comment. Some employees within the agency\u2019s communications department, however, have received RIF notices.<\/p>\n \u201cNo doubt these changes are difficult. But I will be in touch over the next few days and weeks to discuss how they impact us,\u201d Squires added.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not entirely clear why USPTO is proceeding with layoffs. The agency is fee-funded and remains open during lapses in congressional funding.<\/p>\n The agency\u2019s website states that, \u201cat present, the USPTO will remain open and fully operational until further notice under operating reserves from the prior year\u2019s fee collections.\u201d<\/p>\n Congress failed to avert a government shutdown Tuesday evening. A short-term stopgap funding bill did not pass the Senate on Wednesday morning.<\/p>\n The Trump administration has threatened layoffs if a shutdown occurred. The Office of Management and Budget told agencies last week to plan on additional reductions in force across programs<\/a>\u00a0that are on hold during a shutdown, that don\u2019t have alternative sources of funding and are \u201cnot consistent with the president\u2019s priorities.\u201d<\/p>\n ]]><\/p>\n President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday that he\u2019s in favor of shutdown-related RIFs to the federal workforce, and that \u201cwhen you shut it down, you have to do layoffs.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of good can come down from shutdowns,\u201d Trump said. \u201cWe can get rid of a lot of things that we didn\u2019t want.\u201d<\/p>\n USPTO wrote in a press release<\/a> that the \u201ctypical regional office requires more than $1 million of leased office space and overhead expenses,\u201d and that, as of December 2024, fewer than 10 employees were in the office at the Rocky Mountain location.<\/p>\n