US President Donald Trump will gesture on September 26, 2025 as he arrives at a joint base in Andrews, Maryland, USA.
Elizabeth Franz | Reuters
President Donald Trump warned on Sunday of widespread layoffs if the federal government closes this week, telling NBC News, “We’re going to cut a lot of people who can cut permanently.”
“(I) wouldn’t do that,” he told NBC News in an exclusive interview.
The White House has doubled the warning that if the government shuts down late Tuesday night, thousands of government jobs could lining up.
The Trump administration last week told federal agencies to begin preparing for mass shootings if Congress does not agree to a deal to avoid closure. If the White House follows that threat, federal employees will usually be determined in such cases and will mark a break from precedent.
For example, when the government was completely shut down in 2013, about 850,000 employees were filled, according to the Responsible Federal Budget Committee.
Warnings of potential mass shootings – this was done via memos released by the Bureau of Management and Budget, but a major escalation of pressure on legislators has led to the closure.
Still, within less than three days of government funding the deadline, lawmakers remained far away in negotiations, increasing the possibility of closure.
