Trump’s Threat of Mass Firings Risks Lasting Shutdown Damage

The Trump administration’s threat to fire federal employees rather than furlough them in a possible government shutdown marks a further erosion of job security for a workforce that has already been upended by budget cuts and layoffs.

It also tempts lasting economic damage and political fallout for President Donald Trump.

Mass dismissals of federal workers, which the White House budget office has instructed agencies to prepare for, risks reminding voters about the slash-and-burn approach of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. The billionaire’s approval ratings sank as his cost-cutting effort gutted federal agencies and programs, suggesting voters were ...