The US president has warned of mass federal layoffs if funding transactions fail amid a shutdown with Democrats.
Released on September 25th, 2025
President Donald Trump’s administration raised interests in a showdown with U.S. Senate Democrats over the looming closure of partial government, threatening to permanently remove workers from several federal agencies if funds run out next week.
Late Wednesday, the White House Management and Budget Office (OMB) has played a key role in Trump’s campaign to reduce the size of the government — sent a note to federal agencies. On October 1, it directed the department to identify programs, projects, and activities where discretionary funds would collapse if the US Congress did not pass laws to keep the federal government open.
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“Programs that did not benefit from the infusion of mandatory expenditures will bear the brunt of the shutdown,” he said.
A memo shared by the White House with the media told the agency to submit its proposed force reduction plan to OMB and issue notifications to employees if it is finally shut down.
The federal government has been on the brink of a 15th partial closure since 1981. This is because lawmakers disagree with a plan for discretionary funds for the new fiscal year, or about a quarter of the $7 trillion budget.
On September 19, the Republican-controlled House passed a stop bill until November 21st to fund the government. Senate Democrats refused and called for the law to rescind recent cuts in health programs.
“This is an attempt to intimidate,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said in response to the OMB memo. “Donald Trump has been firing federal workers since day one. He’s scared, not governing.”
This is an attempt to intimidate.
Donald Trump has fired federal workers since day one. Rather than governing, I’m scared.
This is nothing new and has nothing to do with government funding.
These unnecessary dismissals will be overturned by court or…pic.twitter.com/m4mms6tfgs
– Chuck Schumer (@senschumer) September 25, 2025
It’s a change in the Democrats’ approach compared to the beginning of the year, when shutdowns were avoided, except for the threat of mass shootings.
Since the first week of the Trump administration, Schumer has opposed OMB leader Russ Vert, calling his plan “danger” to workers and the United States.
Since January, Trump has been campaigning to cut the federal private workforce from 2.4 million members. Approximately 300,000 federal private workers had left their jobs by the end of 2025, Human Resources Director Scott Kupo told Reuters in August.
Approximately 154,000 of these employees will accept the acquisition and will drop US government salaries on September 30th, the final day of the government’s fiscal year.
When Congress faced a fundraising fight in March, Schumer and top Democrats worried about how Trump would use government shutdowns to drive downsizing the federal government.
Schumer voted with nine other Senate Democrats in March to vote as needed to pass StopGap funds. Many rank and file Democrats, including House leaders, criticized the leaders for not standing up to the Republican administration.
Republican leaders have so far stopped negotiations with Democrats.
“These dedicated workers have nothing to do with the ongoing political and policy disputes that have brought us to the brink of closure,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat who represents many federal workers near the country’s capital, said in a statement.
He called Trump’s threat “a mafia-style horror mail.”
