First came the shutdown, next the layoffs
Marketplace All-in-One
Marketplace
4.5 • 1.4K Ratings
🗓️ 2 October 2025
⏱️ 7 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Federal worker layoffs are near, according to Trump administration officials. Earlier this week, the president said he would use the government shutdown to target "Democrat things." And a shutdown with layoffs may have more serious economic consequences than your average shutdown. For more on that we turn to Diane Swonk, chief economist at KPMG. Also on today's show: China launches a new visa to attract more international STEM talent.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello, listeners. Marketplace's Webby-winning Kids podcast, Million Bazillion, is back for an all-new season. |
| 0:07.2 | Hosts Bridget and Ryan are answering a whole new set of kid questions about everything from royalties and franchises to why the heck we have a $2 bill. |
| 0:17.0 | Even grownups might learn a thing or two. |
| 0:19.6 | Million Bazillion is presented in partnership with Greenlight, the debit card and money app for kids and teens. |
| 0:25.7 | Give your family the tools to manage money wisely with Greenlight. |
| 0:29.5 | Learn more at greenlight.com slash million. |
| 0:33.0 | And tune in to Million bazillion wherever you find your favorite podcasts. |
| 0:38.7 | First came the shutdown. Next come the layoffs from Marketplace. I'm Sabri Banishore, |
| 0:45.4 | in for David Brancaccio. Layoffs of federal workers are near, according to Trump administration |
| 0:50.9 | officials. Earlier this week, President Trump said he would use the government |
| 0:54.6 | shutdown to target, quote, Democrat things. Marketplaces Nancy Marshall Gensert has the latest on layoff |
| 1:01.0 | plans. The Office of Management and Budget told federal agencies to fire federal workers in programs |
| 1:06.7 | that aren't funded during the shutdown, or those who work on projects that aren't, quote, consistent with the president's priorities. |
| 1:13.9 | Yesterday, Vice President J.D. Vans gave reporters a different justification. |
| 1:18.6 | We're going to have to make things work, and that means that we're going to have to triage some certain things. |
| 1:22.5 | That means certain people are going to have to get laid off. |
| 1:24.9 | And we're going to try to make sure that the American people suffer as little as possible from the shutdown. Vance did not explain his reasoning. |
| 1:32.2 | Hundreds of thousands of federal workers were furloughed and past shutdowns, but not fired. |
| 1:37.2 | Guidance from the Office of Management and Budget specifically allows HR employees to issue |
| 1:42.1 | layoff notices during the shutdown. White House press secretary |
| 1:45.5 | Caroline Levitt says the dismissals will start, quote, very soon. I'm Nancy Marshall Genser for Marketplace. |
| 1:53.3 | A shutdown with layoffs may have more serious economic consequences than your average shutdown. For |
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