Attorneys Brian Kabateck and Shant Karnikian expose how Russ Vought, Project 2025 architect who said he wants federal employees “in trauma,” issued a “lapse memo” weaponizing the government shutdown to permanently fire federal workers through mass reductions in force. The hosts reveal how the memo—dated before the shutdown occurred—instructs agency heads to issue RIF notices during furloughs to bypass the 60-day termination requirement, with fired employees receiving no back pay. They detail how Vought admitted wanting “the bureaucrats to be traumatically affected” and to “not want to go to work because they are increasingly viewed as the villains,” turning the shutdown into a “golden opportunity” to slash the workforce without due process, violating the Civil Service Act and Antideficiency Act. Vought believes the Impoundment Control Act is unconstitutional and that Congress only sets “suggested maximums” while the president decides what actually gets spent—giving Trump unlimited power to ignore congressional funding and permanently eliminate 4,200+ federal jobs rather than temporarily furloughing workers as in past shutdowns.