Workplace of Administration and Funds Director Russell Vought attends a cupboard assembly with President Trump on the White Home on July 8, 2025.
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Andrew Harnik/Getty Photographs North America
If the federal government shuts down on Oct. 1, the White Home stated it is going to search for methods to make use of the funding dispute to completely get rid of some federal employees, slightly than simply briefly ship them house on unpaid go away.
This proposed “discount in drive” — outlined in a memo obtained by NPR on Wednesday — could be a major shift from previous authorities shutdowns, when staff have been briefly furloughed till a funds deal is reached.
The White Home Workplace of Administration and Funds informed company heads {that a} funding lapse would give the administration the prospect to difficulty “discount in drive” (RIF) notices to individuals who work on applications which might be “not in step with the president’s priorities.” The plans have been first reported by Politico.
It is the newest push by President Trump’s funds director, Russell Vought, to aggressively minimize authorities applications created and funded by Congress, together with overseas support, spending on electrical car charging stations, and funding for the Company for Public Broadcasting. Vought has argued that presidents – slightly than Congress – have appreciable energy to regulate extra spending, Democrats and the nonpartisan Authorities Accountability Workplace (GAO) have disagreed.
Home Republicans have handed a invoice that might fund the federal government at present ranges via Nov. 21. However within the Senate, the place 60 votes are required to go the invoice, Democrats have insisted on including various measures, together with subsidies for Inexpensive Care Act insurance coverage premiums. They’re set to run out, hitting People who purchase insurance coverage on the Obamacare exchanges with surprising value will increase this 12 months.
Schumer calls the memo ‘an try at intimidation’
Democratic leaders had been set to take a seat down with Trump on Thursday to speak in regards to the points, however Trump canceled the assembly, saying Democrats have been making “unserious and ridiculous calls for.”
The White Home stated it helps the invoice handed by Home Republicans. Within the memo, the OMB stated its layoff notices could possibly be prevented if Democrats resolve to help the invoice.
Senate Minority Chief Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., referred to as the memo “an try at intimidation” in a press release launched late Wednesday evening.
“That is nothing new and has nothing to do with funding the federal government,” Schumer wrote. “These pointless firings will both be overturned in courtroom or the administration will find yourself hiring the employees again, identical to they did as lately as at present.”
Congressional Democrats are beneath intense stress from their voters to face as much as Trump after they supplied the votes to go a six-month spending invoice in March.
On the time, Schumer stated {that a} shutdown would give Trump the facility to select and select what departments and companies to reopen.
The plan for layoff notices is a break from the Trump administration’s method throughout his first time period. In 2018, Trump refused to signal a bipartisan stopgap authorities funding invoice as a result of it did not embody funding for his border wall, sparking a 35-day shutdown, the longest on file. However the administration labored to scale back the ache from the shutdown by maintaining as a lot of the federal government open as potential, and pledging to provide furloughed employees again pay as rapidly as potential.
