Oct. 1, 2025, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government Executive Director Robert Romano today issued the following statement urging President Donald Trump to automate federal government functions during the government shutdown:
“Democrats are trying to cripple federal government functions in a bid to permanently expand Obamacare tax credits, give taxpayer-funded health care to millions of illegal aliens including DACA and remove the One Big Beautiful Bill’s protections against waste, fraud and abuse in Medicare and Medicaid. The Democratic plan would add more than $662 billion to the deficit according to the Congressional Budget Office, all in exchange for leaving the government open for just a month. Democrats should gain nothing from this foolish gambit and would be much better off passing the clean, bipartisan continuing resolution now being offered by Republicans in the Senate.
“Instead, U.S. Code Section 1341(c)(1)(D) provides that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has the power to define what emergency work is by excepted employees to keep governmental functions running. President Trump should direct OPM to automate as many of the non-sensitive functions especially mundane tasks like data entry of the furloughed government employees as can be with the use of technology including artificial intelligence-directed software on an emergency basis. Even seven years ago, the last shutdown this would not have been possible. The longest shutdown in modern history was 35 days, I bet the work of thousands could be put on autopilot in that time. What would be discovered at the end of the process was how little paper pushers were needed to carry out the business of the American people, fully justifying the inevitable reductions in force that should follow when the horse and buggy bureaucrats become obsolete. It’s time for an upgrade.”
To view online: https://getliberty.org/2025/10/president-trump-should-direct-opm-to-automate-emergency-work-systems-during-shutdown/
Attachments:
U.S. Code Section 1341(c)(1)(D): “the term ‘excepted employee’ means an excepted employee or an employee performing emergency work, as such terms are defined by the Office of Personnel Management…” https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/31/1341
For media availability contact Americans for Limited Government at media@limitgov.org.
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