WASHINGTON — The White House is raising the stakes of a potential government shutdown by drafting a request for federal agencies to prepare “reduction in force” plans in case Congress doesn’t pass a spending bill before Oct. 1.
In a memo from the Office of Management and Budget, obtained by NBC News, the Trump administration indicated it’s prepared to go beyond the traditional furloughing of some government employees during shutdowns and fire federal employees.
“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 memo says. “RIF notices will be in addition to any furlough notices provided due to the lapse in appropriation.”
The memo, first reported by Politico, points to job losses for certain federal employees if the government shuts down next week.
“Programs that did not benefit from an infusion of mandatory appropriations will bear the brunt of a shutdown, and we must continue our planning efforts in the event Democrats decide to shut down the government,” the memo says.
The memo says agencies would be directed to consider reduction-in-force notices for all employees in programs, projects or activities whose discretionary funding will lapse on Oct. 1 that lack available alternative funding sources and are “not consistent with the President’s priorities.”
Democrats and Republicans are locked in a standoff as government funding is on the brink of expiring at the end of the day Tuesday. The Republican-controlled House passed a short-term bill to fund the government through Nov. 21, but the Senate — which requires 60 votes to approve a measure — rejected both the GOP and the Democratic proposals to keep the government open.
The OMB memo puts significant pressure on Democrats, in which they risk federal employees’ getting fired if they don’t vote with Republicans to keep the government open.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., fired back at OMB Director Russell Vought on Wednesday night.
“This is an attempt at intimidation. Donald Trump has been firing federal workers since day one—not to govern, but to scare,” Schumer 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.”
Jeffries, on X, wrote: “Listen Russ, you are a malignant political hack. We will not be intimidated by your threat to engage in mass firings. Get lost.”
President Donald Trump on Tuesday canceled a meeting scheduled for Thursday with top congressional Democrats ahead of the potential shutdown.
After Trump backed out, Schumer said: “Trump and Republicans are holding America hostage. Donald Trump will own the shutdown.”
Bobby Kogan, a former OMB official and the senior director of federal budget policy for the left-leaning Center for American Progress, said in a statement that reduction-in-force efforts would “be an action of enormous self-harm inflicted on the nation, needlessly ridding the country of talent and expertise.”
Monica Alba reported from Washington, Zoë Richards from New York.
Frank Thorp V contributed.
