The halls of federal agencies grew quieter Friday as employees packed personal belongings, cleared desks, and braced for a government shutdown that could begin at midnight Sunday. With Congress deadlocked and President Trump refusing to sign any funding bill that doesn’t include sweeping immigration enforcement measures, the Office of Management and Budget has activated contingency plans. At the center of the storm is Russell Vought, the president’s budget director and architect of a controversial proposal to slash the federal workforce by 20% through mass layoffs a plan that could accelerate if a shutdown drags on beyond a week.
Vought, a former Heritage Foundation fellow and key figure in Project 2025, has long advocated for what he calls “right-sizing” the federal bureaucracy. Internal OMB documents obtained by NPR outline a three-phase strategy: first, furlough non-essential workers during a shutdown; second, issue Reduction-in-Force notices to 450,000 employees across 12 agencies; third, replace displaced civil servants with political appointees loyal to the administration’s agenda. Agencies targeted include the EPA, Education, and parts of the Department of Health and Human Services. “This isn’t about cuts,” Vought told a closed-door meeting last month. “It’s about restoring constitutional governance.” Critics call it a power grab disguised as efficiency.
At the Department of Agriculture in Alexandria, Virginia, soil conservation specialist Maria Chen taped a photo of her daughter to her monitor before logging off for the last time possibly. “They think we’re interchangeable,” she said, voice steady but eyes wet. “But I’ve spent 18 years helping farmers adapt to climate change. That knowledge doesn’t live in a spreadsheet.” Across the Potomac, air traffic controllers at the FAA prepared for skeleton staffing, while food safety inspectors at the USDA faced being deemed “non-essential.” The irony isn’t lost on them: during the 2018–2019 shutdown, meatpacking plants operated without federal oversight for weeks. Now, under Vought’s plan, many may never return.
Federal employee unions have filed emergency injunctions in D.C. and Maryland, arguing that mass RIFs without due process violate civil service protections dating back to the Pendleton Act of 1883. The American Federation of Government Employees called Vought’s plan “a hostile takeover of the nonpartisan civil service.” Meanwhile, morale has cratered. In an internal survey leaked to NPR, 78% of respondents said they would leave federal service permanently if layoffs proceed. Some are already applying to state governments or nonprofits. “I took an oath to the Constitution, not to a political project,” said one senior policy analyst at HHS, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The impact won’t stay in Washington. National parks may close gates. Passport processing could halt. Veterans’ benefits might face delays. And in rural counties dependent on federal grants, local officials warn of cascading failures. “If USDA stops sending rural development funds, our water treatment plant shuts down in 30 days,” said County Commissioner Elena Ruiz in New Mexico. Even if Congress passes a short-term continuing resolution next week, insiders say Vought’s team is ready to fast-track RIF notices the moment the shutdown ends using the chaos as cover for permanent restructuring.
As midnight approaches, federal workers are doing what they’ve always done: preparing for the worst while hoping for the best. Some have drained savings. Others are signing up for gig work. But beneath the anxiety is a quiet dignity the same that kept air traffic flowing and Social Security checks arriving through past shutdowns. Russell Vought sees bureaucracy as bloat. But to millions of Americans, these workers are the face of government that works: the inspector who ensures their tap water is safe, the ranger who protects their child’s favorite trail, the clerk who processes their small business loan. When the lights go out in federal buildings Sunday night, it won’t just be a shutdown it will be a test of what kind of government America wants to be.
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