The White House has told its agencies to prepare for mass firings if Congress does not avert a government shutdown next week, according to a memo obtained by US media.
In the memo, the Office of Budget and Management directs federal agencies to begin drafting “reduction in force” plans for programmes whose funding will lapse if Congress fails to meet a 30 September budget deadline.
The warning came after Trump on Tuesday refused a meeting with Democrats who are seeking to secure healthcare funding as part of 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 warns of permanent firings specifically for federal programmes, projects and activities that have no alternative funding sources and are “not consistent with the President’s priorities”.
Many federal government agencies rely on annual funding approved by Congress. Every year, these agencies submit their requests, which Congress must pass, and the president must sign budget legislation for the next fiscal year.
A shutdown takes place if an agreement is not reached by the start of the fiscal year on 1 October, meaning all non-essential discretionary functions stop.
Last week, Republicans in the House of Representatives – along with one Democrat – passed a short-term measure to keep the government funded until 20 November, but Senate Democrats blocked the bill.
They instead proposed their own plan that would restore health care funding after Trump’s policy megabill in July – also known as the “One, Big Beautiful Bill” – made steep cuts to Medicaid, the healthcare programme relied upon by millions of disabled and low-income Americans.
On Tuesday, Trump said he was cancelling a meeting with Democratic Party leaders Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, saying their demands were “unserious and ridiculous”.
“I have decided that no meeting with their Congressional Leaders could possibly be productive,” Trump wrote on social media.
After news of the draft firings memo on Wednesday, Democrats accused the White House of using intimidation tactics.
“Donald Trump has been firing federal workers since day one — not to govern, but to scare,” said Schumer, the Democratic Senate minority leader. “This is nothing new and has nothing to do with funding the government.”
Since taking office, Trump has already fired thousands of federal workers through his cost-cutting initiative with the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge).
