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Some House Democrats, led by Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, sent a sharply worded letter Monday night to the Trump administration, demanding it “immediately cease” efforts to use the government shutdown to fire thousands of federal workers. In the letter to Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, the lawmakers called his actions “both dangerous and flagrantly illegal,” and they blamed Republicans for “exploiting the shutdown to implement the lawless purges you have long dreamed of.” The Democrats demanded that OMB rescind its September 24 memorandum instructing agencies to use the government shutdown to issue RIF (reduction in force) notices. They also requested all documents and communications regarding internal administration discussions about carrying out mass layoffs during a shutdown. Remember: The Trump administration initiated mass layoffs across federal agencies, including those involved in public health and special education programs, claiming the shutdown has forced them to reduce the size of the federal workforce. No statute requires federal employees to be laid off during a funding lapse, and it has never been done before. Labor unions filed a lawsuit to stop the shutdown layoffs, and last week a federal judge in San Francisco paused many of them while the case makes its way through the court. The lawmakers who signed the letter are members of the House Democrats’ Litigation and Response Taskforce, established to develop legal strategies to push back on Trump policies they say are a violation of the Constitution and the rights of the American people. CNN reached out to OMB for comment. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he plans to again press President Donald Trump for a meeting on the shutdown after Trump said publicly — though not directly to congressional Democrats — that he wouldn’t meet until after the government reopens. Schumer said Trump has not directly responded to their ask for a meeting yesterday: “We haven’t heard a direct response and we’re going to follow up.” He stressed that Trump needed to meet with top Democrats before his multi-day trip to Asia. “The country is in a health care crisis unlike we’ve ever seen. And Donald Trump, instead of leaving the country, or before he leaves the country, should sit down and negotiate with us so we can address this horrible crisis,” Schumer said. Schumer also insisted that his party would not be changing tactics ahead of the looming funding shortage for WIC and SNAP. Asked whether the prospect of those programs running dry would force his party to change their calculus, he said, “No, it should change Republican calculus. They should sit down and negotiate a way to address this crisis. They caused it, they’re the ones maintaining it.” Here’s what happened yesterday: • Blame game: President Donald Trump blamed Democrats for the shutdown, calling them “obstructionists” for not passing a bill to temporarily fund the government. He also reiterated his promise of cutting “Democrat priorities” and programs during the shutdown. • Stalemate: A frustrated Senate Majority Leader John Thune signaled Republican leaders will keep forging ahead and pressured Democrats to accept the House’s seven-week funding bill. But Senate Democrats are unlikely to back off their demands and see negotiations as the only way out. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and his House counterpart, Hakeem Jeffries, appealed to Trump to sit down with Democrats. • The road to negotiation: Thune said Trump would only be willing to get more involved in negotiations on the condition that the government reopens. And multiple GOP leaders suggested Trump seemed open to shutdown talks with Democrats if they were willing to put forward a substantive offer. • Shutdown impacts: The effect on the security workforce will increase as the shutdown continues, according to the Transportation Security Administration. And a shortage of air traffic controllers led to delays at Houston, Chicago and Newark airports last night. Since the shutdown, 192 staffing shortages have been reported, more than four times seen on the same days last year.
