'I'm absolutely terrified': Federal workers brace for potential government shutdown, mass layoffs

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Source: CNN Politics

PUBLISHED Sep 27, 2025, 5:00 AM ET


Federal employees from agencies across the US government say they’re “terrified,” “disoriented” and filled with anxiety as they brace for a possible shutdown that the Trump White House has threatened will pave the way for new rounds of fast-tracked mass layoffs.

There is widespread confusion and fear among federal workers as the Tuesday night deadline approaches for Congress to approve a spending package, according to more than a dozen employees from 11 federal agencies who spoke to CNN. Many are still waiting to find out who will be required to work through a shutdown — and who will be furloughed.

Complicating matters, the White House budget office has directed federal agencies to “use this opportunity” to prepare sweeping new layoffs, based on which programs lose funding in the event of a shutdown and which don’t align with President Donald Trump’s priorities, according to a memo obtained by CNN.

“I’m absolutely terrified about going through the same thing all over again,” said one federal worker who was fired and rehired this year as part of the Department of Government Efficiency’s cuts. “This kind of treatment is inhumane. I don’t even know how to prepare for the complete unknown.” The federal employee, like many others who spoke to CNN, insisted on speaking anonymously because they feared retribution by the Trump administration. “My employer doesn’t have my back,” the employee said.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/27/politics/government-shutdown-federal-workers-layoffs-fear