In an interview cited by NBC News, former President Donald Trump said a partial government shutdown would be met with "mass firings" of federal workers, injecting a new level of volatility into increasingly fractious budget negotiations on Capitol Hill. The remarks, which Republicans and Democrats alike described as alarming, reverberated through Washington on Monday as lawmakers grappled with the possibility of a lapse in funding that would furlough large swaths of the federal workforce.

Legal scholars and former administration officials reacted with caution, noting that the president’s authority to dismiss federal employees is constrained by civil service laws, due process protections and collective bargaining agreements. "The federal civil service is shielded by law and regulation; you cannot simply fire thousands overnight without legal exposure," said a former senior Justice Department official who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive legal interpretations. "Even with political will, it would be a lengthy and litigious process."

The prospect of deliberate mass dismissals has diplomatic resonance. A shutdown — and the threat of wholesale firings — would complicate U.S. commitments overseas, delay visa processing, slow security clearances and hamper agencies that maintain day-to-day ties with allies, diplomats warned. State Department staffing reductions, for example, could curtail consular services and slow responses to crises just as regional tensions remain heightened from Europe to the Indo-Pacific.

Those international stakes were underscored by events elsewhere Monday. Taiwan began large-scale clean-up and recovery operations after Super Typhoon Ragasa pummeled coastal communities, damaging infrastructure and displacing residents. Humanitarian and reconstruction assistance often relies on a constellation of U.S. agencies whose work can be disrupted by funding gaps. Officials in Taipei expressed concern that any reduction in U.S. operational capacity could impede coordination on disaster relief and early-warning systems in a region already on edge over cross-strait tensions.

Domestically, the administration and lawmakers also faced fallout from a separate emergency: a shooting at a Dallas Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility left one detainee dead and three others wounded. The ICE director described the episode as the "worst nightmare," a phrase echoed by staff who said they feared for their safety amid overcrowded facilities and growing political scrutiny of immigration enforcement. The shooting is likely to rekindle partisan debate over detention policy even as a potential shutdown threatens to weaken oversight and investigations.

Complicating the legislative picture are other high-profile issues moving through Washington: a potential deal to restructure TikTok's U.S. operations and a fractious set of Democratic primary contests, both of which could affect the political calculus of lawmakers reluctant to concede ground on fiscal matters. A shutdown — and any follow-on personnel actions — would reverberate across those debates, altering timelines for approvals and heightening public and international concern about the reliability of U.S. governance.

With days to go before funding expires, Capitol Hill leaders said negotiations would continue, but the growing roster of crises has raised the political and practical costs of failure. "The country cannot afford to treat core government functions as bargaining chips," said a senior bipartisan staffer. For allies, partners and millions of federal employees, what happens next will reveal whether Washington prioritizes stability or escalation.