Layoffs of federal employees are “imminent,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday after the Trump administration announced plans for widespread staff cuts during the government shutdown.
President Donald Trump “has directed his Cabinet, and the Office of Management and Budget is working with agencies across the board to identify where cuts can be made,” Leavitt told reporters Wednesday at the White House after the government shutdown began at midnight.
“We believe that layoffs are imminent,” she added. “They are, unfortunately, a consequence of this government shutdown.”
Leavitt and the administration are placing blame for the shutdown on congressional Democrats, who are pointing the finger back at Republicans in the White House and in Congress.
