Ten Days After Closing Down Government, White House Begins to Fire Federal Employees
WASHINGTON — In an unprecedented action, the White House Office of Management and Budget on Friday moved to terminate a “substantial” number of government employees, according to reports. The move, which is an attempt by the White House to increase the pressure on Democratic lawmakers, has never happened during a previous government shutdown. In response, Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen, issued the following statement:
“Trump and Republicans are forcing a government shutdown because they refuse to provide health care to Americans and seem determined to impose drastic health insurance price hikes on more than 20 million people.
“Now, for some reason, Trump’s OMB Director Russell Vought seems to think that further attacking the American people is a smart strategy to end the government shutdown. The White House’s strategy is bizarre as it is cruel and stupid. The people that Vought purports to fire provide essential and often life-saving services for all Americans, irrespective of their party.
“The good news is that these illegal firings, if in fact Vought tries to carry them out, will not stand.
“It’s time for Trump to end the shutdown. The path forward is simple enough, starting with addressing a worsening health care crisis that equally impacts all Americans, regardless their party affiliations—and that many in the Republican caucus are eager to address.”
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