Oct 1, 2025 - Politics & Policy

White House to begin firing federal workers within a "day or two"

Kate Santaliz

Russell Vought speaks to reporters outside the White House with Speaker Johnson, Leader Thune and Vice President Vance behind him — Russell Vought speaks to members of the media following a meeting at the White House on Sept. 29. Photo: Annabelle Gordon/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought said the Trump administration will begin firing federal workers in a "day or two," sources told Axios.

Why it matters: It's the first day of a government shutdown, and the White House and GOP leaders are moving to maximize pressure on Democrats — aiming to make the fallout as painful as possible for them.

Vought made the comments on a House Republican conference-wide call Wednesday afternoon.
He offered no specifics on which agencies would be targeted, according to two people on the call.
The remarks coincided with Senate's third failed attempt to pass the GOP's stopgap funding plan.

Catch up quick: Vought issued a memo last week that threatened mass layoffs if a shutdown was triggered.

In the memo, Vought instructed agencies to send "Reduction in Force (RIF) notices for all employees" in programs that are "not consistent with the president's priorities."
The OMB director also announced Wednesday that $18 billion in federal funds for New York City's infrastructure projects will be frozen, and $8 billion in "Green New Scam funding" will be frozen in a dozen blue states.

The bottom line: Vought told House Republicans that he'll spend the next week figuring out "constitutionally" what the administration can do in terms of shrinking the federal work force, according to a source on the call.

• He also said the layoffs will be "consequential."

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White House to begin firing federal workers within a "day or two"

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