WASHINGTON — Democratic leaders are pushing back on internal warnings from the White House that a looming government shutdown would lead to mass layoffs within several federal agencies, dismissing the guidance as an intimidation tactic.
The White House Office of Management and Budget began circulating a memo to agencies with instructions to prepare “reduction in force” plans in the case of a shutdown next week, laying the groundwork for mass firings across the federal government. The memo, obtained by the Deseret News, instructs agency officials to identify programs with funding set to lapse on Oct. 1 and do not have alternative funding available.
The guidance then directs agencies to draft plans to eliminate those jobs that are not “consistent with the President’s priorities” if a spending deal isn’t passed — setting the stage for a more drastic workforce reduction than is typical during previous shutdown periods.
It’s standard for government agencies to furlough workers while the government is shut down until budgets are finalized, but those workers are then returned and often receive backpay. However, that process would be upended, according to the memo, putting the onus on Democrats to accept the Republican-led spending bill being considered in the Senate.
“Unfortunately, congressional Democrats are signaling that they intend to break this bipartisan trend and shut down the government in the coming days over a series of insane demands, including $1 trillion in new spending,” the memo states. “The Administration supports Senate passage of H.R. 5371, but congressional Democrats are currently blocking this clean CR due to their partisan demands. As such, it has never been more important for the Administration to be prepared for a shutdown if the Democrats choose to pursue one.”
But top Democratic leaders are rejecting those warnings, claiming the White House is using a threat of mass firings as an intimidation tactic to pass President Donald Trump’s agenda.
“Donald Trump has been firing federal workers since day one—not to govern, but to scare,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. said in a statement. “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.”
Those sentiments come in a sharp contrast to warnings Schumer himself issued earlier this year when he voted to advance Republicans’ stopgap spending bill to avert a shutdown in March, predicting a shutdown would just hand more power over to Trump to dismantle government programs he disagrees with.
That appears to be in line with what the memo, which specifically targets agencies that are not in line with Trump’s agenda or received additional funding in the president’s massive tax package this summer.
Now, Schumer seems to be changing his tune — arguing earlier this month that things will get will get worse with or without (a shutdown) because Trump is lawless.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., similarly brushed off the threats, even going so far as to tell OMB Director Russ Vought to “get lost” in a post on social media.
“Listen Russ, you are a malignant political hack,” Jeffries wrote in a post on X. “We will not be intimidated by your threat to engage in mass firings.”
But the threat of layoffs could also hand Democrats a political grenade, as evidenced by another missive Jeffries posted on his campaign account.
“Donald Trump and MAGA extremists are plotting mass firings of federal workers starting October 1,” he wrote. “Their goal is to ruin your life and punish hardworking families already struggling with Trump Tariffs and inflation.”
“Remember in November,” he added, specifically referencing Virginia’s off-year races to elect a new governor. Virginia has more than 140,000 residents who work for the federal government.
House Republicans have already passed their version of a stopgap bill to extend current funding levels until mid-November, but the proposal will require Democratic support in the Senate — something that has yet to materialize. Instead, Democrats are asking for more in return: to reverse health care cuts approved in Trump’s tax package this summer and to permanently extend Obamacare tax credits.
Those demands have been ruled as a nonstarter in this round of spending talks, Republicans say — instead suggesting negotiations on the ACA tax credits should wait until later this year. But that’s not enough for Democrats, who say they cannot trust the Trump administration to allocate government funding the way that Congress dictates.
Senators are not expected to return until Sept. 29, although negotiations could continue during the recess period. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters last week he would be open to discussion, but argued, “Democrats seem more intent in satisfying their very leftist base, who is desperately wanting to see a government shutdown.”
The government is scheduled to shut down at midnight on Oct. 1.