Posted on 10/02/2025 10:44:20 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
The Trump administration has telegraphed that mass firings are coming, but officials have cautioned that such moves could violate appropriations law.
Senior federal officials have quietly counseled several agencies against firing employees while the government is shut down — as President Donald Trump has suggested he will — warning the strategy may violate appropriations law, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive internal deliberations.
The officials cautioned that firings — known as RIFs, or reductions in force — could be vulnerable to legal challenges under statutes labor unions cited this week in a lawsuit seeking to block threatened mass layoffs. For example, the Antideficiency Act prohibits the federal government from obligating or expending any money not appropriated by Congress. It also forbids incurring new expenses during a shutdown, when funding has lapsed; some federal government officials have concluded the prohibition could extend to the kind of severance payments that accompany reductions in force.
Trump and White House Budget Director Russell Vought, whose office oversees apportionment law and has led the administration’s preparation for terminations, have repeatedly said mass dismissals would come during a government shutdown. Plans for such firings have been developed at several agencies, according to two federal officials familiar with the matter who, like others interviewed for this article, spoke on the condition of anonymity to detail internal conversations. Those plans, which have yet to take effect, dictate smaller reductions in force than what the White House has projected.
Asked about the legal concerns, White House Office of Management and Budget communications director Rachel Cauley said in a written statement that “issuing RIFs is an excepted activity to fulfill the President’s constitutional authority to supervise and control the Executive Branch, similar to conducting foreign policy.”
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Would anyone expect something different from The Washington Post?
Basically: “Don’t do anything! Be afraid! Some little judge in Hawaii might rule against us! The sky will fall!”
Sounds like a subversive whisper campaign by bureaucrats to undermine the elected government.
WaComPost sounds skeert.
These nameless, faceless "senior federal officials" should be the first to go ... if they even exist.
Notwithstanding “gov’t officials” and the unconstitutionally federally-protected unions, and against all odds, as the miraculous birthing of America in 1776, so now, the Invisible Hand of Divine Providence is working to restore America’s Free Constitutional Republic by shutting down the $3+ Trillion, 80%+ unconstitutional portion of the federal gov’t, presently our greatest enemy.
At some point, that should include but certainly not be limited to abolishing gov’t “healthcare”.
There are so many reasons unconstitutional gov’t healthcare should be abolished.
Here is a sampling of reasons:
1) Gov’t takeover of healthcare is unconstitutional and, thus, illegal. Nowhere does the Constitution delegate power to the feds to meddle in healthcare.
2) See 1)
3) Gov’t healthcare puts your individual healthcare in the hands of distant, indifferent, and non-medial D.C. bureaucrats and politicians who of course as middlemen must be paid and, thus, increasing the cost of healthcare. The HHS bureaucracy has a budget of $1 trillion.
4) The highest quality, most affordable, and most available healthcare in the world is what we had in the voluntary cooperation DIRECTLY between doctor and patient before the gov’t muscled in in the 50’s and 60’s with its “helping hand” hand out and a hammer behind his back! As Ronald Reagan said, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: ‘I’m from the Government, and I’m here to help’”.
5) Gov’t hammer? What hammer? Forced vaccines, forced abortions, forced treatment all by distant politicians and bureaucrats who are not medical experts and do not know you personally.
6) Gov’t agenda vs. your own personal agenda. Who cares more about your health? You? Or some distant politician and bureaucrat who doesn’t know you from Adam and frankly couldn’t care less about you personally?
7) No one cares more about your health than you. Why in the world would you take your personal healthcare and your personal choices in the self interest of your health and wellbeing out of the hands of the DIRECT relationship between you and the doctor of your choosing who knows and cares about you, and instead put your healthcare in the hands gov’t politicians and bureaucrats who don’t know you, have the power to force you to do what they want, and who have their own agenda which includes “culling” the “overpopulation” - so gov’t has a bias toward your death.
8) That is a short list. There’s more but why would anyone need more reasons? NUKE UNCONSTITUTIONAL GOV’T HEALTHCARE!!!
Follow up by dismantling most of the rest of the $1 TRILLION HHS, most of which is unconstitutional
Senior federal officials=Swamp bureaucrats
Yep, no surprise there. The Washington Post is trying to protect its army of leakers that feed many of its stories.
How many votes did those assholes get last November?
“”””Senior federal officials have quietly counseled several agencies against firing employees while the government is shut down — as President Donald Trump has suggested he will”””
Gee, I wonder if I should call this fact or fiction.
Until Trump arrived on the scene in 2017, WAPO and other FNMs (Fake News Media) would publish this concocted gibberish and many would accept it as the gospel truth.
“””These nameless, faceless “senior federal officials” should be the first to go ... if they even exist.””””
The ‘senior federal officials” could be the head custodians of the Capitol restrooms who are now 65 years old.
Senior Federal Officials (generic made up BS) = First on the list!
😁
Senior federal officials have quietly counseled several agencies against firing employees while the government is shut down — as President Donald Trump has suggested he will — warning the strategy may violate appropriations law, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive internal deliberations.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
sounds like these SES bosses are stepping on the toes of the black robes
Coming from SENIOR bureaucrats tells me Trump needs to fire them as well.
Use an EO to decertify them once and for all.
Fire those senior federal officials first.
Find out who they are and fire them.
Well just have to round up the usual suspects.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.