The White House on Thursday escalated tensions over a looming US government shutdown, directing federal agencies to prepare for potential mass firings under President Donald Trump’s administration.
In a memo obtained by AFP, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) instructed agencies to submit staff reduction plans and notify employees of possible cuts. Unlike previous shutdowns, which typically involved temporary furloughs, the memo indicated that Trump’s administration may move forward with permanent layoffs through “Reduction in Force” (RIF) notices.
The guidance drew parallels with large-scale firings carried out earlier this year under Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
The White House blamed congressional Democrats for the standoff, accusing them of making “a series of insane demands” and breaking a decade-long pattern of bipartisan deals to keep the government funded.
“We remain hopeful that Democrats in Congress will not trigger a shutdown and the steps outlined above will not be necessary,” the OMB memo stated.
Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries pushed back sharply, telling the White House to “get lost.” Writing on X, he added: “We will not be intimidated by your threat to engage in mass firings,” and described OMB chief Russ Vought as a “malignant political hack.”
A shutdown would halt non-essential federal operations and leave hundreds of thousands of civil servants temporarily without pay. Shutdown battles have become a recurring feature of Washington politics, with growing partisan polarization fueling repeated funding crises.
The current fight comes as Democrats in the Senate last week rejected a stopgap funding bill hurriedly passed by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. Trump responded by cancelling a planned meeting with Democratic leaders, saying he would not negotiate until they “become realistic.”
Time is running short. Congress faces a midnight September 30 deadline, with both chambers currently on recess. Republicans, who hold a slim majority, have warned their House members will not return before the deadline, leaving the Senate to either accept the House bill or risk a shutdown.
Even if approved, the measure would only extend funding until November 21. The last shutdown came in March, when Republicans refused to negotiate over Trump’s sweeping budget cuts and the layoffs of thousands of federal employees.