White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday the layoffs across the federal government are likely to reach the thousands.
Leavitt made the comments to a press gaggle outside the White House the day after Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought told Republicans the Trump administration will start firing federal employees in the next "one to two" days.
"Look, it's likely going to be in the thousands," Leavitt said Thursday. " 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.
"These discussions and these conversations, these meetings would not be happening if the Democrats had voted to keep the government open."
Vought told lawmakers he will spend the next week determining "constitutionally" what the administration can do to shrink the federal workforce, Axios reported, citing a source on the call. He also said the layoffs would be "consequential."
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