Federal workers across the government are bracing for possible cuts after the White House instructed agencies Wednesday night to consider widespread layoffs in the event of a shutdown.
The Office of Management and Budget directed agencies to consider reduction in force notices for all staffers in programs, projects or activities where discretionary funding will lapse on Oct. 1, no alternative funds are available, and the program doesn’t align with President Donald Trump’s priorities, according to a memo obtained by POLITICO’s E&E News and first reported by POLITICO.
The directive comes as lawmakers in Congress remain at odds over how to keep the government funded beyond Tuesday night. Democrats and Republicans have rejected each other’s continuing resolutions, Trump has declined to meet with Democrats, and both parties are accusing each other of gunning for a shutdown.
Democrats in response criticized the White House for threatening the federal workforce and refusing to negotiate.
“This is mafia-style blackmail, plain and simple. These workers have nothing to do with the ongoing disputes that have brought us to the brink of a shutdown,” Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen wrote on X. “It’s not only an attack on Americans’ services and benefits — it’s also likely illegal.”
But the White House’s memo attempted to put the blame for potential shutdown consequences squarely on Democrats, accusing lawmakers on the left for making “insane demands.”
“Programs that did not benefit from an infusion of mandatory appropriations will bear the brunt of a shutdown, and we must continue our planning efforts in the event Democrats decide to shut down the government,” authors of the memo wrote. “If Congress successfully passes a clean CR prior to September 30, the additional steps outlined in this email will not be necessary.”
A former top Republican aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to openly discuss the potential layoffs, suggested that cuts would align with a Congressional Budget Office review that estimated $908 billion in spending authorizations are set to expire before the end of fiscal 2025.
While Congress can issue funds to a program whose authorization has expired, without new funds those programs could be in jeopardy during a shutdown.
The report also identified more than 1,300 spending items whose authorizations had already expired before the beginning of the current fiscal year — the oldest of which expired in 1980 — totaling about $500 billion in spending.
A breakdown by House and Senate Appropriations committees shows that the expired spending in fiscal 2025 includes more than $4.5 billion under the jurisdiction of the Interior-Environment subcommittees, nearly $5.2 billion via the Energy-Water subcommittees and $397 million via the Agriculture-FDA subcommittees.
Democrats in Congress, who are demanding that Trump and Republican leaders negotiate a health care deal with them in order to earn their votes, dismissed the White House memo Wednesday.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called it “an attempt at intimidation” and predicted in a statement that the potential layoffs “will either be overturned in court or the administration will end up hiring the workers back, just like they did as recently as today.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) was even more scathing, attacking OMB Director Russ Vought personally.
“You are a malignant political hack.” Jeffries said in a statement. “We will not be intimidated by your threat to engage in mass firings. Get lost.”
‘Bargaining chips’
The White House is still in the process of gathering agencies’ plans for a shutdown, according to the memo. A White House website that once held those documents is now blank.
“As a reminder, updated agency lapse plans were due to OMB on August 1. OMB has received many, but not all, of your submissions,” the memo reads. “Please send us your updated lapse plans ASAP.”
Any additional reductions in staffing would hit agencies hard, including the Agriculture, the Interior and Energy departments, which have already seen some of the deepest cuts as Trump moves to shrink the federal government.
But one employee at the Energy Department — granted anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the press — said they’ve received no new information in months about possible reductions in force, RIFs, and didn’t see that suddenly changing. DOE did not respond when asked about the memo.
“It’s a threat to force the Dems’ hands,” said the staffer. “My agency submitted a RIF plan back in the spring and nothing has happened in all these months, so I don’t see it happening now with a week’s notice.”
Morale “can’t get any lower” said another DOE staffer about the prospect of a shutdown.
The nation’s largest unions representing federal workers blasted the White House memo and called on Trump and congressional leaders to negotiate in good faith to avoid a shutdown.
Democrats last week rejected Republicans’ “clean” continuing resolution, or CR, to extend government funding through Nov. 17 in order to buy more time to pass full-year appropriations bills.
They have proposed their own CR, which Republicans rejected, that includes more than $1 trillion in health care funding, as well as language to curb the White House’s ability to unilaterally withhold or rescind congressionally approved funds. The Democratic CR also includes a number of provisions seeking to protect energy, climate and science funding.
National Treasury Employees Union President Doreen Greenwald in a statement accused lawmakers of using the federal budget “as a game of chicken” with employees as collateral damage. “And this time even more so with the Administration’s latest illegal threat of mass layoffs if the government shuts down. This needs to stop,” said Greenwald.
Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, also criticized OMB’s pursuit of “another DOGE-like round of illegal mass firings in the event of a shutdown, adding to the chaos.”
“Federal employees are not bargaining chips,” Kelley in statement. “They deserve stability and respect, not pink slips and political games.”
‘We can’t really punch back’
A shutdown could have far-reaching effects across already-drained energy and environmental agencies tasked with managing public lands and protecting the public from pollution and natural disasters.
“If the administration carries out the directive in the OMB memo, it seems possible that they would eliminate all of the land management agencies, or almost all, and most if not all of their staff,” said Bob Krumenaker, the former superintendent of Big Bend National Park. “And that means there would be no one out there who is protecting the investment the American people have in their lands.”
If OMB’s plan to lay off federal employees deemed nonessential was implemented, it would have a devastating impact on EPA’s workforce.
EPA’s latest available plan for a lapse in appropriations, signed in March, estimated there were more than 16,700 employees on board but only 1,260 staffers would be retained during a government shutdown. The remaining roughly 15,500 at EPA would be furloughed until funding was restored — or under OMB’s proposal, receive a reduction-in-force notice.
In addition, EPA would cease some of its vital operations during a shutdown, including distributing new grants as well as conducting scientific research and civil enforcement inspections. Further, permits and regulations wouldn’t be issued while pending state requests on air and water quality standards would be stuck in limbo.
EPA’s staffing levels already have been depleted since earlier this year. Overall, 2,306 people at the agency joined the “deferred resignation” and early retirement program in its first two offers, according to figures provided by EPA last week. The agency also continues to process a third round of the program, which could see more staffers depart.
OMB’s plan to lay off federal employees if a shutdown happens was not well received by EPA staffers, who were granted anonymity because they fear retaliation. One agency employee called Vought, the budget director, “a bully.”
“The only reason they punch down at us is because we can’t really punch back,” said the EPA employee. “These people have no empathy. Just a lust for power and control.”
Another agency staffer said, “This administration has been threatening mass layoffs for months. It’s just more of their mob tactics.”
An EPA spokesperson referred questions to OMB when contacted for this story.
At NOAA, a shutdown could undermine the National Weather Service’s efforts to stabilize the agency, which is rehiring for hundreds of positions lost to DOGE cuts.
One current NWS employee in a field office that’s short five meteorologists, granted anonymity for fear of retribution, said remaining staff are exhausted from long hours with few days off.
“If we go through even a relatively protracted shutdown of a week or two, I think you’re going to see morale drop pretty significantly,” the NWS meteorologist said. “We’ve been busting our butts, so not getting paychecks would do even more damage. I think we’d see people quitting their jobs.”
Erica Cei, a NOAA spokesperson, said in an email that NWS is a designated public safety agency so “forecasters and those who support the creation and delivery of NWS products and services are considered essential employees.”
“In the event of a government shutdown, NWS products, watches and warnings will continue to be issued as normal and will not be affected,” Cei said.
Reporters Daniel Cusick, Robin Bravender and Christa Marshall contributed.
Contact reporters Kevin Bogardus on Signal at KevinBogardus.89, Jennifer Yachnin on Signal at jyachnin.35 and Andy Picon on Signal at andpicon.98.
