(AURN News) — The White House is upping the stakes in the spending fight that could trigger a government shutdown. In a late-night memo, the Office of Management and Budget told agencies to draft plans for mass firings if Congress does not pass a spending bill by next week. That means federal jobs would not just be paused — they would be eliminated.
Democratic leaders blasted the move. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., wrote in a post on X, telling OMB Director Russell Vought to “get lost,” while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called the memo “an attempt at intimidation” and predicted the firings would not stand.
President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans want a seven-week extension with no changes. Democrats want health care on the table, subsidies extended and Medicare cuts reversed.
The message coming from OMB is that Trump’s priorities, such as border spending, will keep running, but thousands of federal workers could be left behind.
Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.
