The Trump administration is adopting a notably more aggressive strategy regarding the potential impacts of a government shutdown. Following a memo released by the White House on Wednesday evening, federal agencies have been instructed to prepare for potential reductions in force (RIFs) should government funding fail to be secured by early next week. This new directive has raised concerns among many, as the timeline for implementing such RIF plans is tight and often involves a complex, lengthy process that can stretch on for months.
The recent memo from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), first reported by Politico, indicates that the Trump administration is continuing its earlier directives for agencies to conduct RIFs aimed at reducing workforce numbers. The focus is on the "maximum elimination of functions that are not statutorily mandated." Over the last several months, numerous agencies have begun significant workforce reductions, with a staggering 200,000 federal employees having left their positions this year alone. Officials from the Trump administration project that this number will exceed 300,000 by the end of the calendar year.
Despite the sweeping workforce reductions, some agencies, such as the IRS and the General Services Administration, have reconsidered their staffing cuts, deeming them excessively severe. The OMB memo now instructs agencies to evaluate the possibility of even deeper RIFs, particularly for federal employees involved in programs that may lose funding next week or whose roles do not align with the President’s priorities. The memo specifies that RIF notifications should be sent to all impacted employees, irrespective of their status as excepted or furloughed during a potential shutdown.
However, skepticism surrounds the legality and practicality of conducting RIFs in such a short timeframe. Bobby Kogan, a former OMB official under the Biden administration, expressed doubts about the feasibility of executing a last-minute RIF either before or during a shutdown. He stated, “It doesn’t seem to me that they would really be able to legally do that additional work during a shutdown — and it doesn’t seem to me that they’d be able to get it all done beforehand.” Kogan, now a senior director at the Center for American Progress, suggested that the administration may be leveraging this situation as a pretext for their plans or as a method of intimidation.
In the event of a government shutdown, certain activities can continue, particularly those funded outside of congressional appropriations. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities notes that activities provided for by law or deemed necessary to “protect against imminent threats to life or property” are exceptions during a shutdown. Yet, interpretations of what constitutes an exception can vary across different administrations, complicating the situation further.
As the OMB’s directive regarding RIFs in the context of a potential government shutdown is unprecedented, the actual execution of this process remains uncertain. Jenny Mattingley, vice president of government affairs at the Partnership for Public Service, mentioned that while a RIF may not occur during a shutdown, agencies would likely maintain lists of employees considered for future reductions. This ongoing trend of rapid personnel decisions raises concerns about how it impacts the essential work authorized by Congress and the services Americans rely upon.
In light of the new OMB directive, Democratic lawmakers have criticized the Trump administration's legal authority to mandate further RIFs during a government shutdown. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) condemned the memo as “mafia-style blackmail,” arguing that the threats to federal employees are an unnecessary attack on public services. Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-Va.) emphasized that a shutdown does not grant the administration additional legal authority to terminate federal workers.
For updates and insights into the evolving landscape of federal employment and government operations, feel free to reach out to this reporter at drew.friedman@federalnewsnetwork.com or connect via Signal at drewfriedman.11.
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