Democrats Caved to Keep the Government Open in March. Now They're Changing Their Tune.

"Now, as the government is careening toward shutting down at midnight tonight, the stakes are different than they have been in past years: One of the most powerful men in government has made it clear he wants to dismantle said government, and the shutdown might just give him an opening to go wild making cuts. Russell Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, was one of the architects of Project 2025, which called for extensive reductions to the federal government."

"But this week, Vought has indicated that he would use a shutdown as an excuse to permanently reduce the headcount. In a memo last week, he urged federal agency officials to issue Reduction in Force notices- i.e., layoffs-for those working on programs that run out of funding on Oct. 1, don't have other sources of funding, and are "not consistent with the President's priorities.""

Government careens toward a shutdown at midnight with heightened stakes as a senior official seeks to dismantle parts of the federal government. Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, was an architect of Project 2025, which called for extensive reductions to the federal government. Past shutdowns typically furloughed workers in nonessential agencies temporarily with reinstatement after reopening. Vought instructed agencies to issue Reduction in Force notices for programs that run out of funding on Oct. 1, lack other funding sources, and are not consistent with the President's priorities. The President threatened there will be "a lot" of firings.

Read at Slate Magazine