Karoline Leavitt Says 'Thousands' Could Be Fired Ahead of Trump, Vought Meeting

Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Thursday to expect "thousands" of layoffs from the federal government if the government shutdown is to continue.

"Look, it's likely going to be in the thousands. It's a very good question. And that's something that the Office of Management and Budget and the entire team at the White House here, again, is unfortunately having to work on today," Leavitt said. "These discussions and these conversations, these meetings would not be happening if the Democrats had voted to keep the government open."

🚨: This was the plan all along.

“How many federal workers do you plan to fire during the shutdown?”

KAROLINE LEAVITT: “It’s likely going to be in the thousands.”

Russ Vought is already drafting the lists.

Make no mistake:

This isn’t a budget fight, it’s a purge.
A… pic.twitter.com/k5ifl90hY0
— Brian Allen (@allenanalysis) October 2, 2025

The press secretary went on to blame the Democratic Party for the shutdown, arguing they had “zero good reason” to do so. Congressional Democrats maintain they’re pushing for more healthcare funding, but they haven’t shied away from insisting they want coverage for “everybody,” not just Americans. Most notably, they have defended healthcare subsidies for illegal immigrants and other non-citizens.

"They are doing it for political reasons. They are doing it because they want to give taxpayer-funded health care benefits to illegal aliens, which is something that American people resoundingly rejected ahead of the election last year," she said.

President Trump informed the public on Thursday that he would be convening with Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought to discuss what federal agencies "are a political SCAM," and therefore which should rool out reductions in force. Trump warned Democrats before they shut down the government that he would pursue the RIF's if they did not pass the GOP-led funding bill.