Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) thumped Russ Vought, the White House budget chief, amid a planned mass purge of the federal government.
The Trump administration said Friday it began "substantial" layoffs of federal workers as the government shutdown approaches its 10th day and threatens to extend into another week.
"The RIFs have begun," Vought wrote on X, using an acronym for "reduction in force." He didn't elaborate on what that would entail. Reports suggest affected agencies include the Departments of Homeland Security, Education, Housing and Urban Development, Treasury, and Health and Human Services.
Collins, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, came out with a strongly worded statement over Vought's announcement.
"I strongly oppose OMB Director Russ Vought's attempt to permanently lay off federal workers who have been furloughed due to a completely unnecessary government shutdown caused by Senator [Chuck] Schumer," she said. "Regardless of whether federal employees have been working without pay or have been furloughed, their work is incredibly important to serving the public."
Collins warned that "arbitrary" layoffs will lead to a shortage of adequate staff needed to complete an agency's mission, and will "cause harm to families in Maine and throughout our country."
Andrew Desiderio, senior congressional reporter at Punchbowl News, wrote on X that Collins "whacked" Vought.
