White House ready to use shutdown for mass firings

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Also in today’s edition of ‘Regular Order’ for September 25, 2025:

Wrangling continues over bill to release Epstein documents.

Another House Republican looks for a different job.

Echoes of an ugly scene in Washington, D.C.

MASS FIRINGS.

I’ve talked about this option for months. Now it seems to be an open threat. With a government shutdown less than a week away, the White House is telling federal agencies to prepare plans for mass firings - if Congress fails to approve temporary funding. “Agencies are directed to use this opportunity to consider Reduction in Force (RIF) notices,” a new White House budget memo states.

BUDGET THREAT.

The option for mass firings would focus on federal agencies which have ‘programs, projects, or activities’ which are ‘not consistent with the President’s priorities.’ In other words, with no funding approved by Congress, the White House would consider that ‘such programs are no longer statutorily required.’

WHITE HOUSE.

The underlying threat was very clear in this new memo - avoid a shutdown, or else. “If Congress successfully passes a clean CR prior to September 30, the additional steps outlined in this email will not be necessary,” the new White House memo reads.

INTIMIDATION.

Democrats scoffed at the threat. “This is an attempt at intimidation,” said Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said late last night. “Donald Trump has been firing federal workers since day one — not to govern, but to scare,” Schumer added.

FIRINGS.

The idea of using a shutdown to make deep cuts in the federal bureaucracy is like sweet music to the ears of many GOP lawmakers. “You’re move Chuck,” said Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO). “I don’t think this is going to work out well for Democrats.”

CONGRESS-SPENDING

. The new White House budget move came as Democrats on Capitol Hill stiffened their resistance to a 7-week government funding plan which was approved last week by the House - but blocked in the Senate. Top Democrats in Congress have been calling for negotiations with President Trump, a request that he has rejected.

JEFFRIES.

“We are here today in the Capitol, ready to get to work,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries told a group of reporters on Wednesday just off the House floor. “We need leadership that brings people together, not national leadership that tears people apart,” Jeffries added.

VOUGHT.

Jeffries toughened his words even more last night as word of the mass firings memo came from White House budget chief Russ Vought. “Russ, you are a malignant political hack,” tweeted Jeffries. “We will not be intimidated by your threat to engage in mass firings.”

TRUMP.

The Jeffries comments came a day after President Trump scrapped any plans to meet with top Democrats in Congress about next week’s spending deadline. Unless there is a change of heart, Uncle Sam could see a funding lapse starting on October 1, which is the beginning of the new fiscal year.

HEALTH.

Democrats continued yesterday to try to make this spending fight about health care coverage - bringing up Medicaid cuts under the Big, Beautiful Bill, and expiring credits for 22 million Americans who buy health policies through the Obamacare exchanges.

SENATE.

Republicans rejected that gambit out of hand. “The Democrats’ requests are completely unhinged and unreasonable and unserious,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune told CNN about the CR impasse. “The Democrats are trying to hijack it to get a trillion dollars in new spending.”

GOP LEADERS.

The claim by Democrats that the GOP would be responsible for any shutdown was also brushed aside again by House Speaker Mike Johnson. “Republicans have already done the job of passing a clean, bipartisan bill to keep the government open,” the Speaker said on Wednesday.

NEXT WEEK

. So where does that leave us? I have long thought that a shutdown gives a huge legal advantage to President Trump and the White House. They can argue that with Congress refusing to fund the government, then the feds could start shutting down various Executive Branch agencies.

REWIND.

Back in March - when there was also the threat of a shutdown - Democrats openly fretted about the idea that a government funding lapse would give Trump more opportunities to slash the ranks of federal workers.

LIVE FREE OR DIE.

“While President Trump and Elon Musk would be thrilled to furlough hundreds of thousands of workers without pay, I refuse to give them that power,” said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) at the time.

SEPTEMBER SHOWDOWN.

Six months later, I’m not sure how anything has changed. If I were working in the White House, I would have a list of closures and mass firings ready to go. If Congress doesn’t want to fund Agency X - then President Trump could just close Agency X. It seems pretty simple to this reporter.

EPSTEIN FILES.

A day after Democrats won a special election for a U.S. House seat in Arizona - which should provide a 218th signature for a bill to release documents on the Epstein Files - supporters said it was time for action, not further wrangling. “We need transparency and justice,” said Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA).

BLUEGRASS.

In a stop in Kentucky, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) said that GOP leaders are in ‘full panic mode’ about this discharge petition on Epstein - claiming that Republicans were being threatened over their support for the plan.

RELEASE THE FILES.

“We will not be intimidated,” Khanna said last night. “Republicans are threatening petition signers.” Other Democrats were more than happy to chime in. “What are House GOP leaders afraid of?” asked Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA).

DISCHARGE.

Because GOP leaders canceled House votes next Monday and Tuesday, newly-elected Democrat Adelita Grijalva of Arizona won’t be sworn in immediately - further delaying her signature on the Epstein discharge petition.

FLIP FLOP

. I’ll say it again - this change of heart by Republicans on the Epstein Files is one of the craziest things I have ever seen. The GOP went from being for full disclosure to turning tail after Donald Trump told them it was a ‘hoax.’

NOTES.

I went back in my files where I often save small items which never made it into this newsletter - and found something from July about the Epstein Files. I wrote this right after President Trump had called Republicans ‘stupid’ for demanding documents about the Epstein ‘hoax.’ It’s a reminder of the anger among conservatives, who felt betrayed.

INFOWARS.

“What the hell is wrong with Trump?” asked InfoWars host Owen Shroyer. “This is like Hillary (Clinton) calling us deplorables.”

WEST BY GOD.

“It’s bullshit to insult our intelligence on the Epstein cover up,” said Derrick Evans, a former West Virginia state lawmaker who was convicted of Jan. 6 crimes. “I am NOT happy,” Evans tweeted.

WALSH BLOG.

“The base can’t and won’t just drop it,” said conservative podcaster Matt Walsh, unhappy with Trump’s words about the Epstein sex trafficking investigation. “Someone make sense of this for me.”

POSTSCRIPT.

As you can see, conservatives were once angry about Trump’s quick turn on the Epstein Files. Fast forward two months, and most GOP lawmakers in Congress are saying as little as possible about the subject and the quest for new Epstein documents. Why? Maybe you have ideas.

White House ready to use shutdown for mass firings

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