White House budget office threatens mass firings if government shuts down

An aerial view of the US Capitol building and Washington, DC, on July 21, 2025. (Photo by Daniel SLIM / AFP) (Photo by DANIEL SLIM/AFP via Getty Images) Daniel Slim/AFP/Getty Images

The White House budget office is telling federal agencies to prepare plans for mass firings in the event of a government shutdown , with instructions to target programs they are not legally required to continue.

The directive, outlined in an Office of Management and Budget memo to agencies and obtained by CNN, represents a sharp break from the government’s handling of past shutdown scenarios — and an escalation by the Trump administration amid a standoff with congressional Democrats over federal funding.

In the memo, OMB directs agencies to identify programs whose funds will lapse if Congress fails to me