The Trump administration is preparing for mass layoffs of federal workers if negotiations with congressional Democrats fail to end the partial government shutdown, according to White House officials.
Speaking Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union, White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said he remains hopeful that Democrats will back down and avoid a costly shutdown and layoffs.
“President Trump and [White House budget director] Russ Vought are lining things up and getting ready to act if they have to, but hoping that they don’t,” Hassett told CNN, per Reuters. “If the president decides that the negotiations are absolutely going nowhere, then there will start to be layoffs.”
President Donald Trump said Sunday that any potential job cuts would be the fault of Democrats.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, the federal clash began on October 1, when Senate Democrats, led by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), rejected a 45-day funding bill passed by the House. Republican leaders accused Democrats of holding the government hostage to preserve costly healthcare benefits enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, federal workers are currently not receiving pay.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said he is open to addressing Democrats’ concerns but only once the government reopens.
President Trump similarly said he wants to address healthcare reforms, calling Obamacare “a disaster.”
“We want to fix it so it works,” he told Reuters. “Obamacare has been a disaster for the people, so we want to have it fixed so it works.”
Lawmakers from both parties have been holding informal talks to end the standoff, but so far there are no signs of a resolution.