The White House is raising the stakes of a potential government shutdown by drafting a request for federal agencies to prepare “reduction in force” plans in case Congress doesn’t pass a spending bill before Oct. 1.
In a memo from the Office of Management and Budget, obtained by NBC News, the Trump administration indicated it’s prepared to go beyond the traditional furloughing of some government employees during shutdowns and fire federal employees.
“With respect to those Federal programs whose funding would lapse and which are otherwise unfunded, such programs are no longer statutorily required to be carried out,” the memo says. “RIF notices will be in addition to any furlough notices provided due to the lapse in appropriation.”
The memo, first reported by Politico, points to job losses for certain federal employees if the government shuts down next week.
“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,” the memo says.
The memo says agencies would be directed to consider reduction-in-force notices for all employees in programs, projects or activities whose discretionary funding will lapse on Oct. 1 that lack available alternative funding sources and are “not consistent with the President’s priorities.”
Democrats and Republicans are locked in a standoff as government funding is on the brink of expiring at the end of the day Tuesday. The Republican-controlled House passed a short-term bill to fund the government through Nov. 21, but the Senate — which requires 60 votes to approve a measure — rejected both the GOP and the Democratic proposals to keep the government open.
