GOP senators back OMB’s hardball shutdown tactics; Vought withholds funds, floats no back pay
As the shutdown deepened, several Senate Republicans signaled support for OMB Director Russell Vought’s hardline tactics even as OMB withheld nearly $30 billion in infrastructure funding to blue states and floated denying back pay to furloughed workers — a move prompting union legal challenges and Democratic outrage. Vought announced RIFs had begun and warned layoffs could start within days, while the White House and President Trump framed the shutdown as an opportunity to reshape and cut the federal workforce, escalating political and legal pushback.
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Government
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📌 Key Facts
- OMB Director Russ Vought announced 'RIFs have begun' and an OMB spokesperson said the reductions are 'substantial,' marking a shift from planning to actual mass firings during the shutdown.
- President Trump and White House officials have framed the shutdown as an 'unprecedented opportunity' to 'slim down' or cut federal agencies, met with Vought to target agencies, and senior officials (including Vice President J.D. Vance) have warned layoffs could be permanent.
- OMB has withheld nearly $30 billion in infrastructure funding to predominantly blue states and cities and Vought publicly tied roughly $8 billion in green‑energy funding to cancellations; a White House‑circulated memo also suggested furloughed workers may not receive back pay.
- About 750,000 federal employees are expected to go without pay while the shutdown continues, and federal employee unions have filed suit challenging the OMB memo that prepared agencies for layoffs.
- Several Senate Republicans (including Murkowski, Hoeven and Thune) signaled support or a hands‑off posture toward Vought's hardline shutdown tactics, while Senate Democrats (e.g., Sen. Chris Coons) demanded protections against the White House clawing back appropriated funds through rescissions.
- House Speaker Mike Johnson said Republicans will push a rescissions package 'in the days ahead' and pursue additional reconciliation bills (this fall and possibly in spring) aimed at deficit reduction and deeper cuts to wind/solar tax credits and Medicaid fraud.
- Administration messaging on agency furlough notices blamed Democrats for the lapse, prompting legal and watchdog scrutiny over potential Hatch Act and related violations, and the shutdown has already disrupted services for ordinary Americans (for example, SNAP offices reported closures while applicants sought benefits).
📚 Contextual Background
- The United States federal government entered a partial shutdown on 2025-10-01 after the midnight funding deadline passed with Democrats and Republicans failing to agree on a funding bill.
📰 Sources (15)
"This gets real": GOP escalates shutdown fight with rescissions, layoffs
New information:
- Speaker Mike Johnson said a new rescissions package is coming "in the days ahead" and framed rescissions as part of the GOP process.
- Johnson said Republicans want to pass another reconciliation bill this fall and potentially a third in spring to address deficit reduction, deeper cuts to wind/solar tax credits, and Medicaid fraud.
- Sen. Chris Coons said any reopening deal must include protections against the White House clawing back funds via rescissions after Congress appropriates them.
- Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the start of missed paychecks makes the situation "real" and credited the White House for holding off actions for ten days.
‘RIFs have begun.’ Vought announces start of mass firings during government shutdown
New information:
- OMB Director Russ Vought announced that federal Reduction-in-Force (RIF) layoffs have begun, writing "RIFs have begun" on X.
- An OMB spokesperson said the reductions are "substantial," without providing immediate details.
- This marks a shift from warnings and planning to actual implementation of layoffs during the shutdown.
GOP senators back Russ Vought's hardball shutdown strategy as standoff intensifies
New information:
- Several Senate Republicans (Murkowski, Hoeven, Thune) signal a hands-off or supportive posture toward OMB Director Russell Vought’s pressure tactics.
- Fox cites OMB has withheld nearly $30 billion in infrastructure funding to blue states and cities.
- Senators react to a White House-circulated memo suggesting furloughed workers may not receive back pay, despite a 2019 law.
Trump, Johnson appear at odds in government shutdown messaging
New information:
- President Trump shared an AI‑generated video on Truth Social depicting OMB Director Russell Vought as a grim‑reaper figure set to a parody of 'Don't Fear the Reaper.'
- Speaker Mike Johnson explicitly defended Vought in an internal GOP call and publicly said the president's mockery amount to 'trolling the Democrats' while insisting Trump does not take 'great pleasure' in shutdown disruptions.
- The article confirms a meeting between Trump and Vought on Oct. 2, 2025 to discuss agency cuts and frames the differences in tone between the White House and House leadership.
Mike Johnson on Vought and Trump weighing funding cuts during government shutdown
New information:
- House Speaker Mike Johnson publicly commented on OMB Director Russell Vought working through potential cuts across federal agencies during the shutdown.
- CBS News published a video report (reporter: Nikole Killion) documenting Johnson’s on‑the‑record remarks.
Trump meeting with Vought about potential mass firings during government shutdown
New information:
- President Trump said he is meeting with OMB Director Russell Vought specifically to discuss potential cuts and possible mass firings at federal agencies.
- CBS News provided on-camera reporting (Willie James Inman and Kelly O'Grady) confirming the White House statement that the meeting is taking place amid the government shutdown.
Trump sees 'unprecedented opportunity' to cut government during shutdown
New information:
- President Trump posted on Truth Social calling the shutdown an "unprecedented opportunity" to cut 'Democrat Agencies' and said he was meeting with OMB Director Russell Vought to determine which agencies to target.
- Direct presidential language labeling some agencies a 'political SCAM' and asking OMB to recommend whether cuts should be temporary or permanent.
Workers brace for mass layoffs as Trump encourages using government shutdown opportunity
New information:
- CBS reports that 'thousands' of federal workers are explicitly 'bracing' for potential furloughs or mass layoffs (human-impact framing beyond agency memos).
- CBS states that some Republicans — explicitly including President Trump — are publicly encouraging using the shutdown as an opportunity to reduce federal headcount and have argued such moves could 'save billions.'
- The piece is a contemporaneous broadcast report (CBS/Nancy Cordes) documenting workers' immediate reactions and political messaging tied to the shutdown.
Media bashes Trump admin messaging for pinning shutdown on Dems, White House fires back
New information:
- On‑the‑record White House spokeswoman quote rejecting claims that blaming Democrats in official furlough communications breaks federal law
- Specifics from agency communications highlighted: Fox states it obtained a DOJ memo and reproduces banner/pop‑up language on DOJ and HUD sites attributing the lapse to Democrats
- Legal context and pushback: the article summarizes media and watchdog accusations of Anti‑Lobbying Act/Hatch Act exposure and includes a legal expert’s (Andrew Cherkasy) comment about Hatch Act applicability
Pressure on Democrats grows to end shutdown. And, Gaza City receives evacuation orders
New information:
- NPR attributes the $8 billion cancellation directly to OMB Director Russ Vought.
- NPR reports Vice President J.D. Vance publicly warning that federal workforce layoffs will occur if the shutdown continues.
- Anecdotal operational impact: a named SNAP applicant, Carlos Hernandez, found a SNAP office closed while trying to renew benefits.
Furloughs, closures and mass firings threats: What's next in the shutdown fight
New information:
- Vice President J.D. Vance explicitly warned that layoffs could be permanent, not just temporary furloughs.
- Russ Vought’s tweet naming specific states and characterizing roughly $8 billion in green‑energy funding as canceled (tweet language quoted in article).
- Reporting that federal employees' unions have filed suit challenging the OMB memo that prepares agencies for layoffs during a shutdown (legal challenge referenced).
Trump uses government shutdown to dole out firings and political punishment
New information:
- Reported detail that OMB Director Russ Vought, in a private call with House GOP lawmakers, said layoffs could begin 'in the next day or two'
- Explicit White House quote and attribution that layoffs are being discussed as 'irreversible' cuts and that Leavitt characterized layoffs as 'imminent'
- Framing by AP that the administration is using the shutdown to 'reshape the federal workforce and punish detractors,' tying personnel actions to political objectives
White House says federal layoffs are "imminent" amid government shutdown
New information:
- CBS reports the White House explicitly saying some federal workers 'will be laid off' amid the shutdown.
- CBS reiterates the commonly cited figure that approximately 750,000 federal workers will not receive a paycheck while the shutdown continues.
- Confirms the timing as day one of the government shutdown (Wednesday) and that the White House made the statement contemporaneously.
Here's what Trump wants to do to reshape the federal government during the shutdown
New information:
- Direct Trump quotes framing the shutdown as an opportunity to make 'irreversible' personnel and program cuts.
- Reporting that the White House is underscoring it did not want the shutdown but sees potential to 'slim down' the federal government.
- Explicit contextualization of the Antideficiency Act as concentrating discretion with the White House and OMB during a funding lapse.