Trump HR Office Sanctions Agency Firings if Government Shutters

Federal agencies may fire workers if Congress can’t reach a deal to fund the government by the end of the fiscal year, according to the US Office of Personnel Management.

In a 65-page guide issued Sept. 28, OPM said agencies may issue reduction-in-force memos in the event of a shutdown, largely because the resources required to lay off workers are considered essential.

Administration officials determined that agencies “are authorized to direct employees to perform work necessary to administer the RIF process during the lapse in appropriations as excepted activities,” OPM wrote.

The Trump administration’s threat to fire employees during a shutdown, rather than just furlough them, has upped the stakes in an already tense standoff between Democrats and President Donald Trump. It could leave lasting damage in a way other shutdowns have not.

The federal government will cease non-essential operations on Oct. 1, unless Congress can reach an agreement.

Last week, an OMB memo told agencies to identify programs funded through discretionary spending, saying that they would no longer be “statutorily required to be carried out” in the event of a shutdown.