SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
The White House is using the government shutdown to advance plans to further cut the federal workforce and control spending. Budget Director Russell Vought is calling on agencies to fire staffers who were deemed to be nonessential during the funding lapse. And the Trump administration says it is freezing billions of dollars for projects in states - many of whom voted for Kamala Harris. NPR's Stephen Fowler joins us.
STEPHEN FOWLER, BYLINE: Good morning.
SIMON: Let's begin first with the threats to fire federal workers. Has anyone actually been let go yet?
FOWLER: Well, so far, they're just threats. Here's White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaking to Morning Edition yesterday.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR CONTENT)
KAROLINE LEAVITT: The president is meeting with the Office of Management and Budget to try to understand what agencies are essential, what agencies do not align with the administration's priorities and values.
FOWLER: Here's the thing to think about though, Scott. Any of these reductions in force, or RIF, efforts that would come would have to be from the leaders of these federal agencies. President Trump can't make them happen, and neither can Russ Vought, the head of the Office of Management and Budget. RIF rules are pretty particular about the amount of time and notice they have to give before they can take effect. There's also a lawsuit that's been filed from federal workers union saying that the threat of firing workers, especially during a shutdown, is illegal.
SIMON: The administration's also announced several grants and projects are on hold just in the past few days and highlighted some in districts that are represented by Democrats. Is that related? How is it related to the shutdown?
FOWLER: Well, it depends on who you ask. The Energy Department says billions of dollars for clean energy grants are being canceled because of a review that found they, quote, "did not adequately advance the nation's energy needs, were not economically viable and would not provide a positive return on investment of taxpayer dollars." Others have noted that those projects are in more than a dozen states, including Minnesota and New York - all of them, Vice President Kamala Harris won in last year's presidential election. The timing of the announcement comes as the administration is doing a full-court press to get Democrats to get on board with their plans to reopen the government.
SIMON: Stephen, is this a lot like the DOGE effort that the president launched in January?
FOWLER: Well, that's the argument that Democrats are making. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said this in an NPR interview earlier this week.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR CONTENT)
HAKEEM JEFFRIES: Well, the Trump administration has been out of control since Day 1. They've been laying people off since Day 1. They've been firing federal employees since Day 1, and they've been violating the law since Day 1.
FOWLER: DOGE's work to cancel contracts and direct agencies to slash their workforce is an extension of Trump and Vought's long-held belief that the government should be smaller and spend less on things they don't agree with. Even as the White House has tried to circumvent the spending and budgeting power given to Congress, which Republicans have so far allowed to happen, it's worth noting that agencies have been hiring back hundreds of workers they let go earlier this year, and Treasury data shows spending has actually increased instead of decreased. That's because most of what the federal government spends its money on is mandatory items, like Social Security and Medicare - popular programs and things it would require Congress to change.
SIMON: Of course, Stephen, there have been government shutdowns before, and new administrations try to change spending plans and establish new policy priorities. Is this shutdown that different?
FOWLER: Shutdowns are an inherently partisan thing. But this time, it has been notable, Scott, how Republicans are using official government communications to attack one political party. Earlier this week, the administration added language to internal memos, official government websites, out-of-office email signatures and more to blame Democrats for the shutdown, and it's a potential violation of federal ethics laws.
As a comparison, in 2013, former President Obama sent a letter to federal workers ahead of a shutdown, thanking them for what they do and chiding Congress for being responsible, without mentioning Republicans specifically.
SIMON: NPR's Stephen Fowler, who is part of our team that covers the restructuring of the federal government. Thanks so much.
FOWLER: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
