Trump administration could lay off thousands during shutdown

(NewsNation) — The Trump administration is making plans to lay off federal workers if a shutdown continues, warning of major cuts.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the number could be in the thousands if the shutdown continues. She said the president is meeting with the Office of Management and Budget director today to determine the number of cuts.

"These discussions, these meetings, would not be happening if the Democrats had voted to keep the government open," Leavitt said.

Trump's threat to fire workers is a break from how shutdowns have been traditionally handled.

In the past, federal workers have been furloughed during a shutdown and returned to their jobs once the shutdown is over. Since 2019, those workers automatically receive back pay for the time the governme