WASHINGTON, Oct 6 (QNA/APP/DNA):The US administration will start mass layoffs of federal workers if President Donald Trump decides negotiations with congressional Democrats to end a partial government shutdown are “absolutely going nowhere,” a senior White House official said.
As the shutdown entered its fifth day, White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett told CNN he still saw a chance that Democrats would back down, averting a costly shutdown and federal employee layoffs that have been threatened by White House budget director Russell Vought.
“President Trump and Russ Vought are lining things up and getting ready to act if they have to, but hoping that they don’t,” Hassett said.
Later on Sunday, Trump was asked by reporters when the administration would begin laying off federal workers. Trump responded, without elaborating: “It’s taking place right now.”
No tangible progress has been reported in negotiations between congressional leaders and the White House since their meeting last week. The shutdown began on October 1, marking the start of the 2026 fiscal year, after Senate Democrats rejected a short-term funding measure to keep federal agencies operating through November 21.
On Monday, the Senate is scheduled to vote for the fifth time on the stopgap funding bill previously approved by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, as well as on a Democratic alternative. Neither measure is expected to secure the 60 votes required to advance.
With Republicans holding a 53-47 majority in the Senate and one GOP lawmaker opposed to the House bill, party leaders would need at least eight Democrats to support the measure, but only three have done so thus far.
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