Live updates: OMB directs mass firings in case of shutdown; Trump to meet with Turkish leader

President Trump added a consequence to the increasingly likely government shutdown next week, as the White House budget office directed federal agencies to plan for mass layoffs, rather than traditional workforce furloughs, if Democrats don’t agree to a short-term stopgap funding measure.

A memo from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) reviewed by The Hill on Wednesday night indicates that agencies are directed to consider reducing their workforce if funding is unavailable as of Oct. 1 and if the programs, projects, or activities are not “consistent with the president’s priorities.”

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) called the warning “an attempt at intimidation.”

Trump, meanwhile, will host Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the White House at midday Thursday. He’ll sign an executive order later in the day, followed by a meeting with the Pakistani prime minister.

Wednesday’s shooting at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Dallas marked the second fatal instance of political violence this month. Authorities have not yet revealed a motive in the attack.

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