A Trump administration official said in a call to Republicans that the mass firings of federal employees would begin “in a day or two” of the government shutdown.
Russ Vought, the chief of the Office of Management and Budget, made the comments in a private call, according to four sources who were on the call and spoke to Politico anonymously.
‘We believe that layoffs are imminent. They are unfortunately a consequence of this government shutdown.’
Vought reportedly said that if the shutdown continued, pay for active members of the military would be threatened, as well as money for WIC, a nutrition program for low-income moms and children. He added that billions of dollars for infrastructure spending for New York are being reviewed.
“He was surprisingly vague on everything,” one of the sources said.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also said during Wednesday’s media briefing that the layoffs were imminent.
“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 me made,” Leavitt said. “And we believe that layoffs are imminent. They are unfortunately a consequence of this government shutdown.”
Vice President JD Vance joined the media briefing and excoriated Democrats.
“If they’re so worried about the effect this is having on the American people, and they should be, what they should do is reopen the government,” Vance said. “Not complain about how we respond to the fact that Chuck Schumer and the Democrats have shut down the government in the first place.”
RELATED: Vance makes Jeffries a hilarious promise if Democrats end the shutdown
The government shut down at midnight on the morning of October 1 after Congress was unable to agree on a budget resolution.
Democrats have tried to place the blame of the government shutdown on Republicans.
“It’s October 1st, and it’s the first day of Donald Trump’s government shutdown,” Schumer wrote on social media. “Donald Trump and Republicans have barreled us into a shutdown because they refused to protect Americans healthcare.”
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