White House Says Layoffs ‘Imminent’ As Plan To Reopen U.S. Government Collapses

The White House has said that mass layoffs of public sector workers will commence in two days due to the first government shutdown in almost seven years. The US Government shutdown began on Wednesday after Republicans and Democrats in Congress failed to agree on a new spending plan before the midnight deadline, BBC reported.

Federal departments have been closing since with the White House warning of “imminent” firings of public sector workers. 

Addressing a White House briefing on Wednesday afternoon, Vice-President JD Vance made an appearance alongside Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and accused the Democrats of playing political games.

“If they are so worried about the effect this is having on the American people, and they should be, what they should do is reopen the government, not complain about how we respond,“ he said.

Leavitt said that "Sometimes you have to do things that you don't want to do.” She further claimed that the Democrats put them in this position. Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer, however, accused the Republicans of trying to "bully" Democrats into accepting their funding plan.

Democrats have refused to approve a House-passed bill that would have reopened the government for several weeks while negotiations continue. They are demanding extended health care subsidies for low income families and have claimed that efforts to negotiate with Republicans over these benefits have so far been unsuccessful.

“Why are they boycotting negotiations? I've never witnessed this in my life," Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, said of Republicans. “The matter is the government will open when Republicans get serious about it talking to Democrats,” BBC reported. 

Republicans claim that the health care extensions would cost the taxpayers more money and were instituted to manage Covid-era complexities that no longer exist.

It is estimated that around 7,50,000 employees, which constitute about 40 percent of the workforce, are to be put on a temporary leave. Essential workers such as border agents and the military may be forced to work without pay for the time being - but government employees deemed non-essential are temporarily put on unpaid leave.