President Donald Trump cautioned on Sunday about extensive layoffs if the federal government faces a shutdown this week, stating to NBC News that “we will be cutting a substantial number of the individuals that … we can remove on a permanent basis.”
“[I’d] prefer not to do that,” he conveyed to NBC News in a special interview.
The White House is reiterating warnings that a significant number of government positions could be jeopardized if the government halts operations at midnight on Tuesday.
The Trump administration informed federal agencies last week to start preparing for large-scale layoffs if a deal to prevent a shutdown is not reached by Congress. If the White House pursues its threat, it would mark a departure from tradition, as federal employees are generally furloughed in such instances.
For example, during the complete government shutdown in 2013, approximately 850,000 employees were furloughed, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
The alert regarding possible mass layoffs — communicated through a memo issued by the Office of Management and Budget — represented a notable intensification of pressure on congressional representatives to prevent a shutdown.
However, with under three days remaining until the funding deadline, lawmakers continue to be significantly apart in their negotiations, heightening the likelihood of a shutdown.
