House Speaker Mike Johnson on Sunday defended President Donald Trump’s administration as it prepared for potential layoffs of federal workers during the government shutdown, calling the situation “regrettable” but faulting Democrats for blocking Republican funding proposals, The Hill reported.
In an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Johnson said the unprecedented plan to lay off thousands of federal employees was not what Trump wanted but a step forced by Democrat resistance.
“We haven’t seen the details yet about what’s happening,” Johnson said when asked by host Kristen Welker if he supported the layoffs. “But it is a regrettable situation that the president does not want.”
Welker pressed Johnson on whether he personally favored cutting jobs. “No,” Johnson replied. “I want Chuck Schumer to do the right thing that he’s done throughout his 30-plus-year career in Congress and vote to keep the government open. We have to end the shutdown.”
The speaker pointed the finger at Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, also of New York, arguing their refusal to back the Republican proposal was driving the crisis.
“In a situation like this, where the Senate Democrats have decided to turn the keys to the kingdom over to the White House, they have to make tough decisions,” Johnson said.
Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, is reviewing which programs, policies, and personnel remain essential as funding dries up, Johnson added. “That’s not a job that he relishes. But he’s being required to do it by Chuck Schumer.”
Trump met with Vought on Thursday to discuss potential cuts and what he called an “unprecedented opportunity” to reshape the federal workforce. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the scale of the deliberations, telling reporters that layoffs could reach into the thousands.
“It’s likely going to be in the thousands. It’s a very good question, and that’s something that the Office of Management and Budget and the entire team at the White House here again, is unfortunately having to work on today,” Leavitt said.
She emphasized that Democrats could have avoided the crisis entirely.
“These discussions and these conversations, these meetings, would not be happening if the Democrats had voted to keep the government open,” she said.
While furloughs are common during shutdowns, outright layoffs have never been implemented, Welker noted. Johnson acknowledged the move was unprecedented but maintained that responsibility lay with Democrats for failing to reach a deal.
The administration has not released a timeline or specifics on which agencies may face the steepest cuts.
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