By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent
The nation is bracing for a government shutdown unlike any in its history. At the center stands President Donald Trump, who has declared that if Congress cannot keep the government open, federal workers may not just be furloughed — they may be permanently fired.
“We are going to cut a lot of the people that … we’re able to cut on a permanent basis,” Trump told NBC News. “I’d rather not do that.” Traditionally, shutdowns have meant furloughs followed by back pay when the government reopens. Trump’s directives are different. The White House Office of Management and Budget has told agencies to treat the closure as an “opportunity” to reduce staff. “Federal employees are not bargaining chips. They are veterans, caregivers, law enforcement officers, and neighbors who serve their country and fellow Americans every day. They deserve stability and respect, not pink slips and political games,” the American Federation of Government Employees stated.
“Of course, you become frugal with your spending, only buying what you need. You prepare for a furlough. Except in this case, with Trump, you prepare to be unjustly laid off,” a park ranger told TIME. “It seems like posturing. I don’t think they will do that. But President Trump has been willing to take big risks,” Stephanie Roth, chief economist at Wolfe Research, said. “This is just running over innocent bystanders. It’s not only bad economics … but it’s profoundly unfair,” Jared Bernstein, former White House adviser, said.
“These unnecessary firings will either be overturned in court or the administration will end up hiring the workers back, just like they did as recently as this week,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer stated. “Brace yourselves for one hell of a storm,” a senior Democratic aide said. For millions of families, the storm is not politics — it is food on the table, rent due, medicine bought or delayed. This time, the stakes reach beyond Washington. The country is being told to prepare not only for a shutdown, but for the sudden dismantling of its own civil service.