White House Orders Agencies to Shut Down as OMB’s Mass Firings Memo Looms

White House Orders Agencies to Shut Down as OMB’s Mass Firings Memo Looms

David Gilmour Oct 1st, 2025, 6:05 am

(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

The White House moved to squeeze Senate Democrats Tuesday night by ordering federal agencies to begin shutdown procedures after lawmakers blocked a Republican bid to extend funding beyond midnight.

Russell Vought , the president’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) boss, issued the directive in a memo instructing agency leaders to “execute their plans for an orderly shutdown.”

He said federal employees should still report for duty to “undertake orderly shutdown activities.”

The move formally launches the first government closure since President Donald Trump’s initial term in office, and kicks off a disruptive process as hundreds