President Donald Trump issued a stark warning on Thursday, signaling the potential for a government shutdown as tensions escalate between the White House and congressional Democrats. The standoff centers on spending negotiations ahead of the September 30 fiscal deadline, after which critical federal services could face severe disruptions. Trump, in a candid remark from the Oval Office, accused Democrats of being ‘crazed’ and unprepared, further intensifying the political rift. The White House has escalated the confrontation by instructing government agencies to prepare for mass layoffs, a move that goes beyond the typical temporary furloughs during shutdowns. A memo from the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) directed agencies to consider issuing Reduction in Force (RIF) notices to employees, adding to the strain on federal workers already impacted by earlier layoffs orchestrated by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Democrats have firmly rejected Republican proposals, demanding the reversal of certain spending cuts and the extension of healthcare subsidies. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries dismissed the layoff threats, urging the White House to ‘get lost’ and accusing OMB chief Russ Vought of being ‘out of control.’ A shutdown would halt non-essential government operations and leave hundreds of thousands of civil servants temporarily unpaid. The White House blamed Democrats for ‘insane demands,’ accusing them of disrupting a decade-long bipartisan tradition of avoiding shutdowns. With both chambers of Congress in recess and senators not returning until Monday, the day before the deadline, the window for reaching a resolution is rapidly closing. House Republicans have warned they will not return before the deadline, leaving the Senate to either accept their proposal or face a shutdown. The proposed bill, if passed, would only provide temporary funding through November 21. This latest impasse echoes the March shutdown, which was resolved at the eleventh hour after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer backed a Republican-drafted proposal.