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"White House Budget Chief's Radical Shutdown Plans Spark Outcry"
Published 3 months, 1 week ago
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In the last few days, Russ Vought, the current Director of the Office of Management and Budget, has emerged at the center of a heated national debate as the federal government faces a possible shutdown. Media reports from outlets like NPR and ABC News highlight that Russ Vought has issued directives that go well beyond the typical approach to government shutdown planning. In a major departure from past practice, last week Vought instructed federal agencies to prepare for mass firings, not just temporary furloughs, if Congress fails to pass a government funding bill by October first.
NPR notes that agencies were told to consider permanent Reduction in Force notices for employees whose projects lose discretionary funding and are not consistent with President Trump’s priorities. Workers in these roles are being notified that even if they are technically furloughed, their jobs could be eliminated entirely. According to Sullivan and Cromwell, the official memo from Vought emphasized that programs no longer statutorily required must be considered for staffing cuts if funding lapses. The memo makes clear that such reductions would apply to all staff in the affected projects regardless of their furlough status.
Political fallout has been swift. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries have led objections, stating that the administration’s willingness to claw back funds already approved by Congress and to determine which parts of the government to keep open has eroded trust. These tensions are compounded by Vought’s previously controversial actions, including holding back agency funds and using what Bloomberg Government describes as pocket rescissions to claw back appropriated money. Schumer argues that this approach gives the administration undue discretion and undermines Congressional authority over the budget.
According to reporting from Government Executive, the Office of Personnel Management has clarified that although layoffs are threatened, most would not take effect immediately. Under federal law, agencies must issue a sixty-day notice to employees before implementing reductions in force, and agencies could revise these plans if funding is restored after a short shutdown. Nonetheless, the threat is widely regarded as real, with agency officials telling staff that the administration’s intention is not merely a negotiating tactic. This marks a shift in labor relations, as previous shutdown threats typically resulted only in temporary furloughs.
Vought’s decisions are intensifying a standoff over both federal spending and executive authority. Congressional leaders from both parties have called emergency meetings with the president to look for a solution, but no compromise is yet in sight. Thank you for tuning in and please remember to subscribe. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
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NPR notes that agencies were told to consider permanent Reduction in Force notices for employees whose projects lose discretionary funding and are not consistent with President Trump’s priorities. Workers in these roles are being notified that even if they are technically furloughed, their jobs could be eliminated entirely. According to Sullivan and Cromwell, the official memo from Vought emphasized that programs no longer statutorily required must be considered for staffing cuts if funding lapses. The memo makes clear that such reductions would apply to all staff in the affected projects regardless of their furlough status.
Political fallout has been swift. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries have led objections, stating that the administration’s willingness to claw back funds already approved by Congress and to determine which parts of the government to keep open has eroded trust. These tensions are compounded by Vought’s previously controversial actions, including holding back agency funds and using what Bloomberg Government describes as pocket rescissions to claw back appropriated money. Schumer argues that this approach gives the administration undue discretion and undermines Congressional authority over the budget.
According to reporting from Government Executive, the Office of Personnel Management has clarified that although layoffs are threatened, most would not take effect immediately. Under federal law, agencies must issue a sixty-day notice to employees before implementing reductions in force, and agencies could revise these plans if funding is restored after a short shutdown. Nonetheless, the threat is widely regarded as real, with agency officials telling staff that the administration’s intention is not merely a negotiating tactic. This marks a shift in labor relations, as previous shutdown threats typically resulted only in temporary furloughs.
Vought’s decisions are intensifying a standoff over both federal spending and executive authority. Congressional leaders from both parties have called emergency meetings with the president to look for a solution, but no compromise is yet in sight. Thank you for tuning in and please remember to subscribe. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
For more http://www.quietplease.ai
Get the best deals https://amzn.to/3ODvOta
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI