Trump says he’ll lay off ‘a lot’ of federal workers in a government shutdown

Government workers will find a very different shutdown this year, compared with years past.

Typically, when the shutdown ends, the federal employees go back to work. While they may miss a few paychecks, they are always compensated for that time when government funding is restored.

But this year, President Trump has made it clear that many workers won’t be returning to their jobs after the shutdown, or ever, if he gets his way. 

“We may do a lot,” Mr. Trump said, when asked how many workers could lose their jobs. 

It’s unclear how much authority Mr. Trump has to fire workers during a shutdown. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities said in a report that layoffs would be legally murky.

The laws governing a reduction in force require 60 days from the date an employee is notified of a potential layoff until termination, allowing them time to look for a new job. That would likely outlast any government shutdown. 

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Furthermore, certain federal agencies, including human resources departments, would not legally be able to act on the layoffs during the shutdown. 

Mr. Trump blamed the potential firings on congressional Democrats, accusing them of making outrageous demands to keep the government open. 

“That’s only because of the Democrats,” Mr. Trump said.

Congressional Democrats are demanding that the short-term spending bill undo the One Big Beautiful Bill’s provisions that bar illegal immigrants and some able-bodied adults from Medicaid benefits. 

They also demand a continuation of Obamacare subsidies that were expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic and set to expire at the end of this year. 

“They want to be able to take care of people that come into our county illegally and no system can handle that, and so we’re totally opposed to that,” Mr. Trump said. “We just can’t do it.”

“It’s like they don’t change. They lost an election in a landslide and they don’t change,” Mr. Trump said of Democrats.

The White House Office of Management and Budget last week sent a memo to federal agencies telling them to put together “reduction in force” plans, signaling that the administration is planning to go beyond the traditional furloughing of federal employees and firing them. 

Both parties are deadlocked over government funding, and their leaders seem to acknowledge a shutdown is coming. 

The government was set to shut down at the end of the day Tuesday, when its current funding levels expire. 

The Republican-controlled House passed a short-term bill to keep the government funded through Nov. 21. However, the Senate, which requires 60 votes to approve the measure, has failed to approve proposals to keep the government open.