White House Signals Imminent Federal Layoffs, OMB Tells House GOP Cuts Could Start in Days
The White House and Office of Management and Budget told House Republicans that federal layoffs are "imminent" and could begin "within a day or two," OMB Director Russell Vought said, with some administration officials describing the personnel cuts as "irreversible." The administration is framing the shutdown as an opportunity to "slim down" or reshape the federal workforce while roughly 750,000 federal employees will not receive paychecks during the funding lapse, and the Antideficiency Act gives significant discretion to the White House and OMB in managing the lapse.
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Government
Politics
Economy
🔍 Key Facts
- On day one of the government shutdown the White House said some federal workers "will be laid off" and characterized those layoffs as "imminent."
- OMB Director Russ Vought told House GOP lawmakers in a private call that layoffs could begin "in the next day or two."
- Approximately 750,000 federal workers will not receive a paycheck while the shutdown continues.
- The White House and President Trump have framed the shutdown as an opportunity to "slim down" and reshape the federal government, including making "irreversible" personnel and program cuts.
- Reporting frames the administration as using the shutdown to reshape the federal workforce and to punish detractors, tying personnel actions to political objectives.
- The Antideficiency Act concentrates discretion with the White House and OMB during a funding lapse, giving them authority over which personnel and programs continue or are halted during the shutdown.
📍 Contextual Background
- OMB is the abbreviation for the Office of Management and Budget, an office within the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for assisting the President in preparing the federal budget and supervising its administration in executive agencies.
- Russell Vought served as the Director (chief) of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
📰 Sources (4)
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.