U.S. Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought speaks in front of television cameras at the White House on July 7, 2025 in Washington, DC, USA.
Kevin Lamarque | Reuters
White House Budget Director Russell Vought said Wednesday that the Trump administration could cut more than 10,000 federal jobs during the government shutdown.
“We want to be as aggressive as possible, not only in funding, but also in shutting down the bureaucracy,” said Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget.
“We have an opportunity right now to do that, and we’re going to take that opportunity,” he said on “The Charlie Kirk Show,” which was broadcast from the White House.
The comments came just before a federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from laying off federal employees during the government shutdown.
Vought cited a number of government agencies that could be targeted for cuts, including the Department of Energy’s so-called Green New Deal program and the Environmental Protection Agency’s environmental justice efforts. He also mentioned the Commerce Department’s Minority Business Development Agency and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, known as CISA.
Vought also said he aims to shut down the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which he currently leads as acting director, “within the next two to three months.”
He said the agency has “(Democratic Sen.) Elizabeth Warren’s DNA” and is trying to “weaponize” the law against small financial institutions.
The Trump administration has warned that the government shutdown, now in its third week with no end in sight, will lead to mass layoffs of federal workers.
The White House announced Friday that approximately 4,200 federal employees have been sent termination notices, known as Reduction in Force Notifications (RIFs). That figure was revised downward slightly on Tuesday.
But Vought said on Wednesday’s talk show that he expects the number of RIFs to increase.
“There is potential for further growth,” he said. “I think we’ll probably end up with over 10,000 people.”
The White House released RIF’s rolling estimates in court documents as part of a federal lawsuit brought by unions representing government employees challenging the Trump administration’s cuts.
At a hearing Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston granted a temporary restraining order blocking the termination for the time being.
“The activities that are going on here are against the law,” Ilston told administration lawyers when issuing the order, according to NBC News.
The White House did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
Vaught said the RIF numbers presented in the lawsuit are “just a snapshot.”
“This bar is going to go even higher, but we think it’s important, so we’re going to continue RIF through this shutdown,” he said.
As federal funding drags on, public servants furloughed during the government shutdown or considered “exceptions” who still need to work are going without pay.
President Donald Trump released a presidential memo Wednesday afternoon directing Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to continue using remaining Congressional funds to pay salaries to active-duty military personnel.
