releases: https://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/peters-calls-on-omb-to-make-shutdown-contingency-plans-public-following-news-of-large-scale-reductions-in-force-notices
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| url | title | date | year | month | party | chamber | state | member_name | bioguide_id | domain | scraper | source | date_source | text | has_text | collected_at | updated_at |
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| https://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/peters-calls-on-omb-to-make-shutdown-contingency-plans-public-following-news-of-large-scale-reductions-in-force-notices | Peters Calls on OMB to Make Shutdown Contingency Plans Public Following News of Large-Scale Reductions in Force Notices | 2025-09-29 | 2025 | 2025-09 | Democrat | Senate | MI | Gary C. Peters | P000595 | www.peters.senate.gov | garypeters | https://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases | scraper | WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, is calling on Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought to immediately make the contingency plans that guide how agencies will operate in the event of a government shutdown available to Congress and the public. OMB and many federal agencies removed these documents from their websites in March 2025. Although OMB directed federal agencies to provide updated plans no later than August 1, 2025, Director Vought has refused to make them public or share them with the Committee after multiple requests. “With the threat of a possible government shutdown looming, it is critical that Congress and the public are aware of how the Administration will comply with the law while continuing to carry out critical national security functions and?providing?essential services in the event of a shutdown,” wrote Senator Peters. “Each agency should have a publicly available finalized contingency plan approved by OMB, as we are just days away from a possible shutdown. By hiding these plans, OMB is leaving Americans in the dark about how the federal government will operate during a government shutdown.” Federal agency contingency plans outline the government functions and staff that will continue to operate in the event of a government shutdown, and under what authority. The plans also detail which functions the government intends to temporarily pause until funding is restored. While OMB has failed to provide any transparency to Congress or the public about shutdown contingencies, on September 24, OMB sent an email to federal agencies instructing them to consider unprecedented large-scale Reductions In Force (RIFs) should a government shutdown occur. The email directed agencies to consider permanently laying off employees who work on programs that are not funded during a shutdown and that do not align with the President’s priorities, opening the door to eliminating government services the President disagrees with even if Congress ultimately approves funding for them on a bipartisan basis. Peters continued: “OMB urged federal agencies to take the unprecedented step of preparing new Reduction in Force plans to conduct mass firings. This outrageous plan threatens to cause lasting damage to the country and the safety of the American people by mass firing nonpartisan, expert civil servants and potentially even eliminating government agencies. Rather than negotiating with congressional Democrats, OMB is preparing to weaponize a government shutdown.” | 1 | 2026-03-30T01:40:41Z | 2026-04-06T19:10:29Z |