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The White House is escalating the stakes of a looming government shutdown by preparing plans that could lead to mass firings of federal employees, according to an internal memo obtained by POLITICO.
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has directed agencies to draft “reduction in force” (RIF) plans in case Congress fails to pass a spending bill before Oct. 1. The memo signals the Trump administration is willing to go beyond the traditional furloughs that occur during funding lapses and instead terminate federal workers whose programs are not backed by mandatory appropriations.
“With respect to those Federal programs whose funding would lapse and which are otherwise unfunded, such programs are no longer statutorily required to be carried out,” the OMB memo states. “RIF notices will be in addition to any furlough notices provided due to the lapse in appropriation.”
The administration argues that programs inconsistent with the president’s priorities will “bear the brunt” of a shutdown, and warns that agencies should plan layoffs accordingly.
The move comes as Democrats and Republicans remain deadlocked over government funding, with the deadline to avert a shutdown expiring at midnight Tuesday. While the GOP-controlled House has passed a stopgap measure to keep the government open through Nov. 21, the Senate has rejected both Republican and Democratic proposals, leaving no clear path forward.
The memo puts added pressure on Democrats, effectively daring them to vote for the GOP plan or risk the loss of federal jobs.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., condemned the directive as intimidation. “Donald Trump has been firing federal workers since day one—not to govern, but to scare,” Schumer said in a statement. “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.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., blasted OMB Director Russell Vought directly on X, calling him a “malignant political hack” and vowing Democrats would not be intimidated.
President Donald Trump canceled a planned meeting with top Democrats scheduled for Thursday, a move Schumer said showed Republicans were “holding America hostage.”
Outside experts also criticized the threat of RIFs. Bobby Kogan, a former OMB official now with the Center for American Progress, said the move would be “an action of enormous self-harm inflicted on the nation, needlessly ridding the country of talent and expertise.”
If Congress fails to act, federal employees across agencies could face not only temporary furloughs but also permanent job losses — a first in modern shutdown history.
