Watching for Possible Federal Worker Firings: Starting Line

Federal Job Question Marks

We’ll be watching today for the White House’s termination list — agencies where the lapse in fiscal year funding will lead to an attempt to fire, not furlough, employees.

“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,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.

Republicans have sought to use the threat of permanent cuts to the federal bureaucracy to encourage Democrats to vote to reopen the government. But shutdowns don’t legally or traditionally require layoffs. Federal worker unions, including the American Federation of Government Employees, have already asked a federal court to block them, Jack Fitzpatrick reports. Read More

Trump’s hardball tactics don’t seem to be working. Hopeful signs earlier in the week of a potential deal have faded as threats inflamed sniping and emboldened Democrats, Erik Wasson reports.

For more on the dynamics, read our BGOV Budget newsletter and dig deeper with additional team coverage:

• Some Judges Order Trump Court Cases to Go on Despite Shutdown
• Health Care Losses for Legal Immigrants Caught in Shutdown Fight
• Labor Department Stops In-House Judge Proceedings in Shutdown

Shutdown Getaway

Before we look ahead at what Washington will be doing next week, there’s weekend activity to know about — beaches, golf courses, and probably a few good meals at a high-dollar donor retreat on Sea Island, Ga.

Kate Ackley reports that — so far, at least — the National Republican Senatorial Committee’s fall donor retreat is a go. The gathering is a reward for top contributors, and it’s been on the calendar for awhile. A question we can’t yet answer: how many senators and staffers will show up given the federal shutdown.

The Democrats’ Senate campaign arm similarly has a high-end donor destination jaunt planned later this month in the Napa, Calif., wine country. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee’s press office didn’t respond to a question about whether it would go on if the shutdown persists. Read More

Weighty SCOTUS Session

Next week is the start of the new Supreme Court session, and there may not be enough adjectives to describe how momentous the coming rulings could be for the way the American experiment continues into the next decades.

Trump has been testing the limits of presidential power and challenging what had seemed to be well-settled legal interpretations. The court, in the term that gavels in on Monday, will either hold the line on the status quo or give a green light to a new normal.

Topics coming up include the Federal Reserve’s independence; whether there needs to be a reason to oust leaders from independent agencies; the legality of Trump’s tariffs; birthright citizenship ; voting districts drawn to let minority groups elect candidates of their choice; limits on campaign spending; and more.

See Also: Liberal Justices Use Dissent to Push Changes to Emergency Docket

Epstein Again

Two Jeffrey Epstein-adjacent developments to watch on Capitol Hill next week:

• Once Arizona Democrat Adelita Grijalva, who won a special election to succeed her late father, is sworn into office, she plans to provide the 218th signature needed on a House discharge petition to force a vote on releasing files related to the disgraced financier. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said the swearing-in would take place “immediately early next week as soon as everyone returns to town,” Maeve Sheehey reports.
• If the Senate Judiciary Committee sticks to its posted schedule, Democrats will have a chance to ask questions about the government’s files on Epstein when Attorney General Pam Bondi appears at a Tuesday oversight hearing.

Also Ahead in Congress

Nominees to fill two of the four empty NLRB seats and for the agency’s top lawyer will get a Senate panel vote on Thursday, Robert Iafolla reports. Read More

In addition, the Small Business Committee is to vote Wednesday on Trump’s pick for inspector general of the Small Business Administration, and both nominations and bills focused on pipeline safety, robocalls, and ocean observation are on the Senate Commerce Committee’s schedule.

Abortion Debate Revival

The government shutdown already gave politicians a lot to talk about — and rev up their bases. Add one more topic to the list now that the FDA has approved a new generic version of the abortion pill mifepristone.

Ian Lopez reports on a filing that shows the drug will be made available by Evita Solutions.

Initial reaction on social media skewed toward outrage, with Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) posting on X, “I have lost confidence in the leadership at FDA,” and Trump’s first-term veep, Mike Pence, writing that it’s “a complete betrayal of the pro-life movement.” Read More

Eye on the Economy

With government data releases on pause because of the federal shutdown, a long-running academic check on the pulse of the economy is bound to get more attention.

Next Friday, the University of Michigan is scheduled to release the preliminary update of its consumer sentiment survey. Last month, that survey tracked continued pessimism about the impact of high prices on respondents’ personal finances.

Before You Go

Threat: After the White House sent a memo to nine universities, including the University of Southern California, promising “substantial and meaningful grants” if they ban the use of race or sex in hiring, among other demands, California Gov. Gavin Newsom is threatening to pull “billions of dollars” in state funding from any university that signs on to what Trump is seeking. Read More

Justification: The Trump administration has decided that the US is engaged in a “non-international armed conflict” with Latin American drug cartels, according to a notification to Congress, offering a legal reasoning for recent strikes on alleged drug-runners from Venezuela. Read More

Greenland Finds More Friends: Nothing like a threat from one continent to make one appreciate advantages elsewhere. Premier Jens-Frederik Nielsen says Greenland, which is part of the Danish kingdom but not a member of the European Union, wants to “expand and strengthen” its partnership with Brussels. Read More

Delayed Takeoff: Boeing’s 777X is slated to fly commercially for the first time in early 2027 instead of next year, a setback for an already delayed launch that could lead to billions of dollars in accounting charges. The jet is already six years late. Read More

Crypto Crime: State regulators are trying to wave senators away from a draft bill that they say would make it harder for them to prosecute crypto fraud. Read More

Add Us To Your Inbox

Sign up hereto get Starting Line for free on weekday mornings.