The Trump administration is threatening to fire a ton of government workers if Congress is unable — or unwilling — to avert another shutdown.
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a memo instructing federal agencies to prepare for mass firings in the event of a shutdown.
The memo, addressed to federal agency leadership, laid out guidelines for a possible government shutdown. It blames congressional Democrats for blocking a “clean CR” (Continuing Resolution) that would maintain government funding. The OMB warned that if a CR is not passed by September 30, agencies will implement shutdown protocols, including furloughs and mass layoffs through Reduction in Force (RIF) notices.
Programs that did not benefit from an infusion of mandatory appropriations will bear the brunt of a shutdown,” the memo reads. The OMB instructs federal agencies to consider RIFs for employees working on initiatives that “are not consistent with the President’s priorities.”
The OMB affirms that the administration supports the passage of the CR being debated in Congress, but federal agencies should remain ready to conduct mass firings if Democrats “choose to pursue” a shutdown.
Naturally, Democrats aren’t too enthused about the memo. After all, why would they be happy at the notion of actually shrinking the size and scope of the government?
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) in a post on X said Democrats “will not be intimidated by your threat to engage in mass firings.”
Recommended
Listen Russ, you are a malignant political hack.
— Hakeem Jeffries (@RepJeffries) September 25, 2025
We will not be intimidated by your threat to engage in mass firings.
Get lost. pic.twitter.com/bzJxav74Bh
Sen. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) also complained, calling the memo “an attempt at intimidation.”
In a written statement, Schumer said Trump “has been firing federal workers since day one—not to govern, but to scare.”
The lawmaker argued that the move would be futile.
“Donald Trump has been firing federal workers since day one—not to govern, but to scare,” Schumer said, according to CNN. “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.”
If a shutdown were to occur, programs such as Social Security, Medicare, military operations, law enforcement, and immigration enforcement would still be active, Politico reported.
The guidance comes as Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill are locked in an impasse over funding, with just days before the fiscal year ends Sept. 30. The House passed a stopgap spending measure to float federal operations through Nov. 21, but Democrats in the Senate have refused to advance it, demanding that Republicans come to the table to negotiate a bipartisan package that could include an extension of expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies.
The OMB letter notes that if Congress successfully passes a clean stopgap bill prior to Sept. 30, the additional steps outlined in this email will not be necessary.
Democrats are claiming the CR would result in increased costs and reduced access to healthcare for millions of Americans. They demand a permanent extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to expire at the end of the year. Democrats also want to reverse Medicaid cuts that were enacted through the One Big Beautiful Bill, which was passed in July.
Editor’s Note: The Democrat Party has never been less popular as voters reject its globalist agenda.
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