White House Orders Agencies to Shut Down as OMB's Mass Firings Memo Looms

"(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) The White House moved to squeeze Senate Democrats Tuesday night by ordering federal agencies to begin shutdown procedures after lawmakers blocked a Republican bid to extend funding beyond midnight. Russell Vought, the president's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) boss, issued the directive in a memo instructing agency leaders to execute their plans for an orderly shutdown. He said federal employees should still report for duty to undertake orderly shutdown activities."

"Agencies have already circulated contingency plans outlining which staff and services are deemed essential enough to keep running, according to Politico. Vought has gone further than previous budget chiefs, previously calling on agencies to use the shutdown not just as a stopgap measure, but as a chance to permanently shrink the federal workforce. He has urged departments to draft plans for mass layoffs, a move Democrats say amounts to weaponizing a crisis."

Federal agencies were ordered to begin shutdown procedures after lawmakers blocked a Republican bid to extend funding past midnight. OMB Director Russell Vought issued a memo instructing agency leaders to execute plans for an orderly shutdown and told federal employees to report for duty. The closure is the first government shutdown since the president's initial term, producing furloughs for hundreds of thousands and suspending many public services. Agencies circulated contingency plans listing essential staff and services. Vought urged departments to draft mass-layoff plans to permanently shrink the federal workforce, a move criticized as weaponizing the crisis. The White House expects pressure from suspended paychecks and disrupted services to force concessions.

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