White House warns of ‘imminent’ federal layoffs amid govt shutdown standoff

White House on Wednesday announced that layoffs across the federal workforce are “imminent,” during a government shutdown sparked by a bitter funding stand-off between President Donald Trump and Democrats in Congress.

“Unfortunately, because the Democrats shut down the government, the president has directed his Cabinet, and the Office of Management and Budget is working with agencies across the board to identify where cuts can be made,” said Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

She added, “We believe that layoffs are imminent. They are, unfortunately, a consequence of this government shutdown.”

House Republicans have blamed Democrats in Congress for causing the government shutdown after Senate Democrats rejected a funding bill aimed at extending government operations until November 21.

“House Republicans passed a nonpartisan, clean piece of legislation to extend current government funding until November 21st, but nearly every single Democrat senator voted against this bill. This was the exact same bill that Democrats approved six months ago in March, just adjusted for inflation. This is the same kind of clean funding bill that Democrats passed 13 separate times when they held the majority during Joe Biden’s administration,” said Leavitt.

“Why is the government shut down right now? The answer is pure partisan politics being played by the Democrat party,” she added.

She said that he Democrats shut down the government because President Trump and the Republicans will not force American taxpayers to pay for free healthcare for illegal aliens.

“America is $37 trillion in debt. We cannot afford to provide taxpayer-funded free healthcare to illegals who broke the law to enter our country…,” said Leavitt.

While past government shutdowns — including those during President Donald Trump’s first term — have resulted in furloughs and unpaid work for many federal employees, they have not historically triggered mass layoffs.

However, this time may be different.

Leavitt declined to specify what proportion of the federal workforce could be affected, but warned that the impact could be significant.

Asked about the timeline, Leavitt said layoffs could occur “very soon.”

With inputs from agencies