White House Warns of Mass Layoffs if Democrats Force Shutdown
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is warning that federal agencies are preparing for mass layoffs if Democrats continue to block a stopgap spending bill and allow the government to shut down at the end of the month.
The warning came as Congress neared a Tuesday midnight deadline to avert a shutdown. While the Republican-led House approved a short-term continuing resolution last week, the measure has stalled in the Senate, where Democrats are demanding additional provisions.
“There will be layoffs if Democrats don’t keep the government open,” Leavitt said during the daily press briefing. “We are nearing a government shutdown; we are nearing a funding deadline. The president wants to make this deadline. He wants to keep this government open.”
Leavitt accused Democratic leaders of playing politics at the expense of federal workers and taxpayers.
“The president is giving Democrat leadership one last chance to be reasonable, to come to the White House today to try to talk about this, and now is not the time to try to get political points against Donald Trump,” she said.
The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) circulated internal guidance to agencies instructing them to prepare reduction-in-force (RIF) plans in case a shutdown takes effect on October 1.
According to the memo, employees working on programs not legally required to continue without appropriations should expect to receive both furlough and RIF notices.
“With respect to those federal programs whose funding would lapse and which are otherwise unfunded, such programs are no longer statutorily required to be carried out,” the guidance stated. “RIF notices should be issued to all employees tied to those programs.”
The memo also directed agencies to revise staffing levels once Congress approves appropriations for fiscal year 2026, retaining only employees necessary for core statutory functions.
In unusually sharp language, the guidance accused Democrats of derailing what has historically been a bipartisan process.
“While Congress has usually passed short-term funding bills on a bipartisan basis, Democrats this year are making insane demands, including $1 trillion in new spending,” the document said. “Those demands risk forcing a shutdown.”
At issue is the Senate’s refusal to advance the House-passed H.R. 5371, a “clean” continuing resolution that would extend current funding levels through November 21. The Trump administration has endorsed that measure, with Leavitt calling it a “commonsense” approach.
“All we are asking for is a commonsense, clean funding resolution to keep the government open,” Leavitt said. “The president supports enactment of a clean CR to ensure no discretionary spending lapse after Sept. 30, 2025, and OMB hopes the Democrats will agree.”
Five Republicans Vote to Block Motion to Censure NJ Dem Charged With Striking ICE Officer
Several House Republicans joined Democrats in voting down a measure to censure Rep. LaMonica McIver after being charged by the Justice Department for her role in a chaotic May altercation outside an immigration detention center.
Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.) had pushed for the reprimand, which also sought to strip McIver of her seat on the House Homeland Security Committee. The three-page measure alleges McIver’s actions “do not reflect creditably on the House” and that her continued service on the Homeland Security Committee “would represent a significant conflict of interest.” The measure does not target McIver’s membership on the Small Business Committee, reported Axios.
But a number of Republicans signaled they were unwilling to move forward with the punishment. Five Republicans — Reps. Don Bacon and Mike Flood of Nebraska, Dave Joyce and Mike Turner of Ohio, and David Valadao of California — joined all Democrats in voting to table the measure. Two others, Reps. Andrew Garbarino of New York and Nathaniel Moran of Texas voted present, POLITICO reported. “I think it’s best to let the Ethics Committee finish its report,” Bacon later said. A spokesperson for Turner said the Ohio Republican cast the vote in error, though the mistake did not affect the outcome, the outlet noted further. McIver, along with Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman and Rob Menendez, was attempting an oversight visit at the Newark, N.J., immigration facility when federal agents arrested the city’s mayor. Prosecutors later dropped the charge against the mayor, but Acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba brought assault charges against McIver, carrying a potential 17-year sentence. Habba alleged McIver struck one federal agent with her forearm, grabbed him forcibly, and used her arms to hit another agent. McIver has denied the allegations, but video of the incident appears to show her clearly becoming physical with an ICE officer, allegedly striking him from behind. According to Justice Department prosecutors, McIver allegedly elbowed and grabbed an ICE agent outside the Delaney Hall detention facility in Newark.