As the potential shutdown looms over the US government, President Donald Trump’s administration on Monday outlined which services would be put on hold.This shutdown, if it takes place, will be unlike the previous ones. The White House has indicated it could use the crisis to carry out mass layoffs and scale back the size of government. Senator Gary Peters of Michigan, the top Democrat on the Senate committee that monitors shutdowns, accused the administration of putting the country at risk. “This outrageous plan threatens to cause lasting damage to the country and the safety of the American people by mass firing nonpartisan, expert civil servants and potentially even eliminating government agencies,” he wrote to the administration, in a letter cited by Reuters.Several departments have outlined what services would pause:
- A memo from the office of personnel management (OPM) said that training or onboarding new staff will not be permitted under shutdown law, but officials overseeing dismissals will continue their work.
Furloughed employees will also, for the first time, be allowed to log into their government computers to check emails for redundancy notices. - The department of health and human services (HHS) is preparing to furlough 41% of its employees. HHS said new patients will not be admitted into clinical research studies, and health communications with the public will be limited.
- The department of labor said the release of economic data, including September’s key jobs report, would be suspended.
- The bureau of economic analysis also confirmed that it would stop publishing GDP statistics.
- The Veterans Affairs department said that medical care and benefits will continue but maintenance of cemeteries will stop.
- The Internal Revenue Service, meanwhile, will keep operating at full strength, thanks to extra money from Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, funding that Republicans have long criticised.
Republicans control both chambers of Congress, but talks with Democrats on a short-term funding plan have stalled. The risk of a federal government shutdown deepened on Monday after Donald Trump’s meeting with congressional leaders ended without a breakthrough. Funding will run out at 12:01 AM on Wednesday unless a deal is struck.Under a 19th-century law, agencies without approved funding must cease operations, with exceptions for national security and for protecting life and property, according to Reuters. Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits are not affected, and student loans and Pell grants will also continue.Unlike in previous years where shutdowns plans were shared weeks in advance, many agencies have only released their shutdown contingency plans in the past day. The new documents reveal the effect of Trump’s staffing reductions: HHS has 12,000 fewer employees than it did a year ago, while the Education Department has 1,700 fewer staff than in 2024.
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