A looming government shutdown has now taken a turn that could affect thousands of federal employees. In a move that’s a lot more aggressive than anything we’ve seen in the past, Donald Trump’s administration has reportedly told federal agencies to get ready for a significant round of firings if a shutdown happens next week.
This isn’t just a regular furlough where workers are sent home temporarily; this is a full-on reduction in force, which would completely eliminate people’s jobs. If you’ve ever worked for the government, like I have, you know this is out of the ordinary and there is no justification for it, unless Trump wants to use employees as hostages. In past shutdowns, non-essential government workers were furloughed, but they always had their jobs to come back to once a new budget was approved.
