White House asks US agencies to consider mass firings in case of government shutdown

The warning comes after President Donald Trump on Tuesday declined a meeting with Democrats who are seeking to secure healthcare funding as part of ongoing budget negotiations. “We remain hopeful that Democrats in Congress will not trigger a shutdown and the steps outlined above will not be necessary,” the memo states.

The budget office memo specifies that permanent firings would target federal programs, projects, and activities with no alternative funding sources and that are “not consistent with the President’s priorities.”

Many federal agencies rely on annual funding approved by Congress, which must pass budget legislation and be signed by the president for the fiscal year to start. A shutdown occurs if an agreement is not reached by 1 October, halting all non-essential discretionary functions.

Last week, House Republicans, along with one Democrat, passed a short-term funding measure to keep the government running until 20 November, but Senate Democrats blocked it. They proposed their own plan to restore healthcare funding after Trump’s July “One, Big Beautiful Bill” made steep cuts to Medicaid.

On Tuesday, Trump said he was cancelling a meeting with Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, calling their demands “unserious and ridiculous.” “I have decided that no meeting with their Congressional Leaders could possibly be productive,” he wrote on social media.

Following the release of the draft firings memo, Democrats accused the White House of intimidation. “Donald Trump has been firing federal workers since day one — not to govern, but to scare,” said Senate minority leader Schumer. “This is nothing new and has nothing to do with funding the government.”

Since taking office, Trump has already dismissed thousands of federal workers through his cost-cutting initiative with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).