The White House has directed federal agencies to prepare for large-scale staff cuts if the US government shuts down next week, according to a memo from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) obtained by Politico.
The document, circulated on Wednesday, indicated that President Donald Trump’s administration may go beyond the usual temporary furloughs seen in previous shutdowns. Instead, agencies were instructed to draw up staff reduction plans and notify employees in programs not legally mandated to continue.
“Programs that did not benefit from an infusion of mandatory appropriations will bear the brunt of a shutdown,” the memo said.
The warning comes as the Trump administration clashes with congressional Democrats over funding ahead of a looming Sept. 30 fiscal deadline.
Last week, Senate Democrats rejected a stopgap funding bill hurriedly passed by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. In response, Trump cancelled a scheduled meeting with Democratic leaders, accusing them of being unrealistic in their demands.
With both chambers of Congress on recess until Monday, lawmakers have little time left to avoid a shutdown. If no deal is reached, non-essential government operations will halt, and hundreds of thousands of civil servants could be left without pay.
Although Republicans hold narrow control of both chambers, Senate rules require some Democratic support to pass funding measures. House Republicans have warned they will not reconvene before the deadline, effectively forcing the Senate to accept their proposal or risk a shutdown.
Even if passed, the House bill would only extend federal funding until November 21, providing a temporary reprieve rather than a long-term solution.
The US last faced a government shutdown in March, when partisan deadlock over Trump’s budget cuts led to the furlough of thousands of federal workers.
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