White House tells agencies to prep for mass firings if government shuts down

The White House has directed federal agencies to prepare for mass firings if Congress fails to avert a government shutdown by the end of September, according to a memo obtained by multiple outlets. In the document, the Office of Management and Budget directs agencies to begin drafting "reduction in force" plans for programs whose funding will lapse if lawmakers fail to meet the Sept. 30 budget deadline.

The memo warns of permanent firings specifically for federal programs, projects and activities that have no alternative funding sources and are "not consistent with the President's priorities." It notes that many federal agencies rely on annual funding approved by Congress, and that a shutdown would begin with the start of the new fiscal year on Oct. 1, at which point all non-essential discretionary functions would halt.

Last week, Republicans in the House, along with one Democrat, passed a short-term funding measure to keep the government open until Nov. 20, but Senate Democrats blocked the bill. They instead proposed their own plan to restore health-care funding after Trump's July policy megabill — dubbed the "One, Big Beautiful Bill" — which included steep Medicaid cuts.

On Tuesday, Trump said he was canceling a meeting with Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, saying their demands were "unserious and ridiculous." "I have decided that no meeting with their Congressional Leaders could possibly be productive," he wrote on social media.

After news of the draft firings memo emerged, Democrats accused the White House of intimidation tactics. "Donald Trump has been firing federal workers since day one — not to govern, but to scare," Senate Democratic leader Schumer said. "This is nothing new and has nothing to do with funding the government."

The memo makes clear that the steps outlined would be implemented only if a funding deal is not reached, but it has heightened tensions amid a dispute over funding and health-care policy. The clash comes as the Sept. 30 deadline approaches and a Oct. 1 start to the new fiscal year looms.