(NEXSTAR) – The White House says thousands of federal workers could be permanently laid off amid the ongoing government shutdown.
With no end in sight to the shutdown, President Trump announced plans to meet with Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought on Thursday to discuss mass firings.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Thursday that the layoffs could be in the “thousands.”
“We’re going to look at agencies that don’t align with the administration’s values that we feel are a waste of the taxpayer dollar,” Leavitt said.
“When Congress turns off the funding and the funding runs out, it is up to the commander in chief, the president of the United States, to determine how those resources will be spent,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) told reporters.
Some Republicans say they support the president’s efforts to further downsize the federal government.
“We have a lot of government in Washington, D.C. that we don’t need, that most people don’t know that we even fund and pay for,” said Sen. Jim Banks (R-Indiana).
“If people are non-essential government employees, why are they working for the government?” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas). “Why are we spending money we don’t have and borrowing from future generations to pay for that?”
Democrats say they’re opposed to any layoffs and argue they’re not the ones to blame if the Trump administration moves forward with cuts.
“The gamble’s not on the Democrats’ side,” said Rep. Troy Carter (D-Louisiana). “We aren’t gambling. We’re here. We’re not playing games. We’re here.”
Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Michigan) argues the White House is playing politics.
“It sets a terrible precedent for democracy and for using our government that our founding fathers fought for as a tool of political retribution,” she said.
But some Republicans are joining Democrats in raising concerns. Rep. Steve Womack (R-Arkansas) pointed out that there has already been significant downsizing to the federal government.
“I worry that too many more cuts are going to start impacting our ability to deliver the services expected by the American public,” Womack said.
The White House has not commented on which jobs could be cut. In a Thursday post on Truth Social, President Trump said he is looking to cut from “Democrat Agencies” but did not specify which departments could be affected.
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