WASHINGTON: The White House raised the stakes in a clash over a possible US government shutdown Thursday, telling federal agencies to prepare for more mass firings by President Donald Trump’s administration.
The memo by the White House Office of Management and Budget warned that the Republican administration would go beyond the usual practice of temporary furloughs during previous shutdowns.
Trump is in a tense showdown with congressional Democrats over federal funding ahead of a fiscal deadline of midnight on September 30, which would trigger a fresh political crisis in Washington.
The White House memo, obtained by AFP, said that “agencies are directed to use this opportunity to consider Reduction in Force (RIF) notices for all employees” in areas of government bearing the brunt of a shutdown.
It ordered agencies to submit their proposed staff reduction plans and inform employees.
The term “reduction in force” is the same that the Trump administration used during its large-scale firings under tycoon Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) earlier this year.
The White House blamed a “series of insane demands” by Democrats and accused them of breaking a 10-year trend of reaching bipartisan agreement to avoid shutdowns at the same time of year.
“We remain hopeful that Democrats in Congress will not trigger a shutdown and the steps outlined above will not be necessary,” the OMB memo added.
Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries responded by telling the White House to “get lost.”
“We will not be intimidated by your threat to engage in mass firings” said Jeffries on X, going on to describe OMB chief Russ Vought as a “malignant political hack.”
A shutdown would see non-essential operations grind to a halt and hundreds of thousands of civil servants temporarily left without pay.
Shutdown battles have become a regular feature of US politics under both Republican and Democratic administrations, as Washington is increasingly paralyzed by polarization.
Democrats in the Senate rejected a stopgap funding bill last week that was hurriedly passed by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives as it sought to avert a shutdown.
Trump in turn cancelled a meeting on Tuesday with Democratic leaders in Congress, saying he would not meet with them until they “become realistic” with their demands.
With both chambers on recess this week and senators returning on Monday, time is running out to keep the US government funded after the end of the fiscal year.
Republicans hold a narrow majority in both chambers of Congress but, due to Senate rules, have to get some opposition support.
House Republicans warned on Friday that their members will not return before the funding deadline, forcing the Senate to vote again and accept their proposal or face a shutdown.
The bill, if passed, would still only be a temporary fix funding federal agencies through November 21.
Congress last faced a shutdown in March, when Republicans refused talks with Democrats over Trump’s massive budget cuts and the layoff of thousands of federal employees.
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