Rep. Grothman Wants To Lay Off Up to 200,000 Federal Employees
Including at the Department of Defense.
U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman speaks Saturday, May 17, 2025, during the Republican Party of Wisconsin State Convention in Rothschild, Wis. Angela Major/WPR
As Congress remains deadlocked on a funding agreement to reopen many federal services, Wisconsin GOP Rep. Glenn Grothman says it’s time to permanently lay off thousands of government employees to reduce spending.
“I would certainly hope that President Trump would step up and let go — certainly in the Department of Defense, probably other departments, as well — find (100,000) or 200,000 jobs that are not necessary,” he said on WPR’s “Wisconsin Today.”
The federal government employs about 2 million people, about 18,000 of which are in Wisconsin. The White House has signaled thousands of government layoffs could begin as soon as Friday as a result of the shutdown.
Grothman said regardless of the shutdown, the federal workforce should be reduced to cut spending.
“A lot of these people are not working very hard at all,” he said. “To keep hiring people, many with over six-figure salaries when they aren’t working that hard, that’s just irresponsible.”
Grothman also talked with “Wisconsin Today” about negotiating the government shutdown. Last month, House Republicans passed a short-term spending plan that failed to advance through the Senate.
The Senate is expected to vote on a revised plan Friday, although media reports indicate Democrats and Republicans have come to little agreement and the shutdown is expected to continue.
This conversation was edited for clarity and brevity.
Kate Archer Kent: The White House is warning of mass layoffs of federal workers as result of the shutdown, in the thousands. Here in Wisconsin, there are about 18,000 civilian federal workers. Are permanent layoffs an appropriate response to the shutdown?
Rep. Glenn Grothman: Well, we have too many people working in the government right now. Let’s say in the Department of Defense itself, we have over 700,000 employees who are not uniformed, people sitting in cubicles on a computer.
There is a lot of anecdotal evidence out there that these people aren’t working that hard. So I think whether or not there’s a shutdown is irrelevant. We should not be hiring people who are unnecessary.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin urges the president and House speaker to negotiate as government shutdown continues
KAK: Health Care policy is at the heart of this fight, and Democrats in the Senate refused to vote for this Republican short-term funding bill that did not include an extension of enhanced premium tax credits. In Wisconsin, more than 313,000 people would be affected if the credits expire. Should Senate Republicans compromise here and negotiate a temporary extension for the health care subsidies now?
GG: I’m sure they’re negotiating. Like I said in the past, when we do our appropriation bills, it is not unusual for the two parties to negotiate at the end of the year. Negotiate all September, negotiate all October, negotiate all November. That’s just not unusual. I don’t know why this time we have to settle everything.
KAK: Let’s talk about the economy. The 2018 to 2019 shutdown that lasted 35 days. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that shutdown reduced economic output by about $11 billion, including $3 billion that it never regained. You serve on the House Budget Committee. Are you concerned about how the shutdown could impact our economy?
GG: Yes, but maybe it will bring attention to people working who aren’t necessary. And like I said, we passed a bill. We want to do what’s been done since time immemorial, keep the government funded while we negotiate next year’s appropriation bill.
What does a government shutdown mean for Wisconsin?
KAK: Shutdowns damage people’s lives. What will you do to help repair the lives and make Wisconsinites whole who have been affected by the shutdown?GG: I don’t think it’s going to be as big an impact as people say. All the big federal programs, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, they all continue on as before. There are people who are going to get a delayed paycheck but they’re still going to get their paycheck. Actually on something, that seems a little ridiculous. I felt they changed the rule a couple of years ago where, if you are not working, say you don’t work for a month, you get paid for that month anyway. So there are a lot of federal employees (who are) going to come out ahead of the game.
Wisconsin GOP Rep. Glenn Grothman: Lay off 100K to 200K federal workers was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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Congress doesn’t remain “gridlocked”, the Republicans control House, Senate, Presidency, and they are choosing this path of “All Roads Lead To Ruin” WISGOP 2025
The Epstein files you bunch of greedy corrupt hypocritical lying liars.
Talk about “not working very hard”!!!! It’s these lazy, porcine MAGA-reps who don’t work very hard-except to elbow up to the bar at Koch-backed “fund raisers”. Grothman is an embarrassment to the state.
For a country of 340 million people,
the Federal government workers are 1.9% of the workforce-
protecting and assisting its citizens. That doesn’t seem like too many for running a country of our size.
What do those unnecessary radical workers do?:
care for veterans
process Social Security claims
maintain roads and bridges
ensure air travel safety
provide treatments and cures
fight wildfires
ensure food safety
deliver our mail
provide cyber security and homeland security
maintain our national parks
support USDA farms and farmers
enforce laws regulating toxic spills
respond to disasters (FEMA)
educate students
assist the disabled to find work, housing
safeguard rights and laws
manage medicare and medicaid
uphold workplace safety standards
disease control and prevention
maintains stability of financial system
Grothman is a dreadful man and represents Trump himself and a few of his richest pals. The rest of you are screwed. You elected monsters who have put masked men on our streets and the military, and if you look at them wrong or cross them, you will find yourself face down on the ground.
We are at the turning point in this country. You will soon have a full-on fascist government! The old saying is, “Careful what you wish for.”
You will be poorer, less safe less educated with less opportunities and have fewer freedoms. That is what men like Grothman, MAGA Republicans, and demented Trump have brought you.
Elections have consequences. We elected corrupt men and women and we may be sadly at a place where we cant get back. Trump is now placing Troops on democratic streets for one goal suppress the midterms put fear into people so they stay home and do not vote. They know if they lose the midterms their plan of control may fail. Let’s prove them wrong and defy any plans to screw with our votes and save our elections. MAGA snowflakes are the first to call for civility since they are scared but in fact they are uncivil. We may have to fight back and be UNCIVIL in the harshest terms. Good luck to us all we will need it.
reTrumplicans control the House, Senate and executive branch. I’m sick and tired of them claiming that the Democrats forced this shutdown. They forced this when they all rolled over, showed their tummies and peed themselves with excitement when Frump and his Neo-Nazi regime forced the Big Bullshit Bill down the throats of America.
The Democrats must stand firm because the spineless, gutless reTrumplicans cannot be trusted to negotiate in good faith before the end of this year on the healthcare issue. Force them to go back and face their constituents to explain why they are unwilling to make a deal on extending ACA credits and eliminating cuts to Medicaid.
And RELEASE ALL OF THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!!!
Glenn should be first on this list followed by all other republiKKKan representatives of the billionaires!
The republicans are real good at firing employees then saying “see the federal government doesn’t work for the people” so let’s get rid of it – talk about setting up for failure then complaining it doesn’t work. Further Grothman and his like are good at making statements with nary a shred of evidence – like his boss at the top!
Even with the Epstein files the gerrymandered districts will keep re-electing these idiots. Grothman, as a state representative once sat at the Milwaukee bus station to photograph all the Chicago poor who were moving here to reap the richness of our state welfare program.
Unfortunately these drastic cuts result in making the US less safe. I am hoping that the misdirection of troops and concentration on deportations will not result in another terrorist attack. Apparently Grothman is unconcerned about the wasteful spending on deployment of the national guard.
Grothman and his RRR (radical reactionary republicans) don’t work very hard. The result is the vast majority of Americans are negatively impacted. I say fire Grothman. That should save about $1.2 trillion.
And lets make sure that the next time there is a gov’t shutdown the entire congress and their aides DO NOT GET PAID DURING THE SHUTDOWN.
God they are greedy.
RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES!
Or maybe Grothman supports pedophilia??