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Last week, House Republicans passed a “clean” continuing resolution, to keep the government’s lights on through Nov. 21. Ultimately, that measure failed in the Senate due to a Democrat filibuster. In response, the Trump administration has cheerfully announced plans for a government-wide reduction in force should a shutdown occur.
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a memo to agencies late Wednesday calling for leaders to trim employees in non-essential roles during a partial shutdown.
The memo instructs agencies to prepare Reduction in Force (RIF) plans for programs not statutorily required in a shutdown, which could begin next Wednesday due to Democratic congressional opposition to prior cuts.
“It has never been more important for the Administration to be prepared for a shutdown if the Democrats choose to pursue one,” Russ Vought, director of OMB, declared in the memo reported the New York Post.
“Once fiscal year 2026 appropriations are enacted, agencies should revise their RIFs as needed to retain the minimal number of employees necessary to carry out statutory functions,” he added. “Any proposed RIF plan must be submitted to OMB.”
An administration official told The Post agencies will submit their plans to OMB for approval, putting the final say on approval of the RIF plans with the budget hawks at OMB.
For their part the Democrats have thrown down a $1 trillion gauntlet of spending non-starters as their price for avoiding a shutdown.
The Democrats demanded the Trump administration agree to restore nearly $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid made by President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, permanently extend the enhanced health insurance premium subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, unfreeze funds that have been frozen by Trump’s budget director, Russell Vought, including the $5 billion in foreign aid targeted by the president’s pocket rescission.
It would also provide substantially more money than a House Republican proposal to protect members of the House and Senate as well as the Supreme Court and federal courts from violent threats, reported Alexander Bolton for The Hill.
The cost of the Democrats’ alternative continuing resolution, which would fund the government through Oct. 31, would easily exceed $1 trillion. The cost of permanently extending the enhanced health insurance premium subsidies would cost $349.8 billion over 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget reacted to the Democrat proposal this way:
Borrowing another $1.5 trillion should be a complete non-starter. Lawmakers should be focused on keeping the government open, not driving it deeper into debt.
It’s bad enough we are failing yet again to meet the most basic deadline in budgeting by not appropriating on time. We don’t need to add insult to injury by imposing massive new costs on our kids and grandkids.
The national debt is already approaching record levels as a share of the economy, and we’re on course to spend $1 trillion this year just on interest. We need to be focused on reducing deficits, not exploding them.
If lawmakers want to extend any of the ACA subsidies, they should do so responsibly by targeting the extension and at least offsetting the costs. Ideally we should be offsetting new borrowing twice over. Plenty of options are available, from adopting site-neutral payments to reducing Medicare Advantage upcoding to funding Cost Sharing Reduction payments.
Meanwhile, if lawmakers want to pare back parts of the reconciliation law, they should focus on the $6 trillion in tax cuts and spending increases, not the payfors.
It’s bad enough we are failing yet again to meet the most basic deadline in budgeting by not appropriating on time. We don’t need to add insult to injury by imposing massive new costs on our kids and grandkids.
The national debt is already approaching record levels as a share of the economy, and we’re on course to spend $1 trillion this year just on interest. We need to be focused on reducing deficits, not exploding them.
If lawmakers want to extend any of the ACA subsidies, they should do so responsibly by targeting the extension and at least offsetting the costs. Ideally we should be offsetting new borrowing twice over. Plenty of options are available, from adopting site-neutral payments to reducing Medicare Advantage upcoding to funding Cost Sharing Reduction payments.
Meanwhile, if lawmakers want to pare back parts of the reconciliation law, they should focus on the $6 trillion in tax cuts and spending increases, not the payfors.
That’s conservative budget geek speak for, “Please tell the Democrats to go pound sand.”
As Ms. MacGuineas said, “It’s time to stop the excessive borrowing. Instead of fighting debt with more debt, lawmakers should be using the budget process to reduce deficits. That starts with extending discretionary spending caps and lowering appropriations.”
The House of Representatives went into recess on September 19, 2025, after the House-passed continuing resolution (CR) failed in the Senate, signaling Speaker Johnson and the President were not in a negotiating mood. The House will not return for votes until at least the week of October 6, 2025. The recess, which started last week, could be ended at the call of the Chair if a budget deal is reached before the shutdown deadline on September 30.
We urge all CHQ readers and friends to share this important information widely. The Capitol Switchboard is (202-224-3121), we urge CHQ readers and friends to call Senators TODAY to urge them to hold the line against any increase in spending. Tell the Democrats to go ahead and throw the GOP in the briar patch of refusing to fund Medicare and Medicaid for illegal aliens, and that a vote in favor of a clean Continuing Resolution to fund the government through November 21 is our minimum expectation.
- Trump Executive Orders
- MAGA Agenda
- Government shutdown
- Senator Charles Schumer
- Democrats
- Continuing Resolution
- appropriations bills
- Democrat filibuster
- Reduction in force
- OMB
- Russell Vought
- Memo to Federal agencies
- Medicaid funding
- Violent threats
- Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget
- Government borrowing
- discretionary spending caps
- Medicare for illegal aliens
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