Topline
The White House’s budget office sent a memo telling federal agencies to prepare for mass firings of workers if a government shutdown occurs next week, according to multiple reports, in a move that could raise pressure on Democratic lawmakers to approve legislation to keep the government funded ahead of the Sept. 30 deadline.
According to Politico, which first reported on the memo, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has sent a note to federal agencies asking them to identify government programs whose discretionary funding will expire on October 1, with no additional funds earmarked.
The note also reportedly asks the agencies to single out programs that are “not consistent” with President Donald Trump’s agenda.
This would represent a major change from how federal agencies have previously handled government shutdowns, where some federal employees were furloughed until Congress reached an agreement to approve new funding and end the shutdown.
The OMB has instructed the federal agencies to submit their proposed workforce reduction plans and issue notices to their employees.
The memo notes that these mass firings will not be carried out if Congress passes a stopgap bill before the September 30 deadline to keep the government funded.
The reported memo, which appears to be an effort to pressure the Democrats to back a stopgap spending bill, triggered an angry reaction from the party’s leadership late on Wednesday. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., took aim at OMB Director Russ Vought in an X post, saying: “Listen Russ, you are a malignant political hack. We will not be intimidated by your threat to engage in mass firings. Get lost.” In a statement shared with multiple outlets, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said: “This is nothing new and has nothing to do with funding the government. These unnecessary firings will either be overturned in court or the administration will end up hiring the workers back, just like they did as recently as today.”