"The White House is telling federal agencies to prepare large-scale firings of workers if the government shuts down next week in a partisan fight over spending plans prompting the Democrats to accuse Donald Trump of intimidation tactics. In a memo released on Wednesday night, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) said agencies should consider a reduction in force for federal programs whose funding would lapse next week, is not otherwise funded and is not consistent with the president's priorities."
"That would be a much more aggressive step than in previous shutdowns, when federal workers not deemed essential were furloughed but returned to their jobs once the US Congress approved a new financial plan. A mass firing would eliminate employees positions, which would trigger yet another massive upheaval in a federal workforce that has already faced major rounds of cuts this year, leading with the dramatic intervention by Elon Musk's department of government efficiency (Doge) early in the second Trump administration."
The Office of Management and Budget instructed federal agencies to prepare reduction-in-force plans for programs whose funding would lapse next week, are not otherwise funded, and do not align with presidential priorities. The guidance directs agencies to consider eliminating positions rather than furloughing workers, representing a more aggressive approach than past shutdowns. Agencies are required to revise plans after any shutdown to retain only the minimal staff necessary to carry out statutory functions. The move raises the consequences of a shutdown, heightens pressure on Democratic leaders in Congress, and prompted accusations of intimidation.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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