The mass email assigning blame to congressional Democrats is an unusual step for agencies to take ahead of a funding lapse, and marks an escalation in rhetoric. “We can get rid of a lot of things that we didn’t want.”In most cases, federal employees received the email as an unsigned statement from their agencies. It’s not entirely clear if the email was sent governmentwide, or whether the Trump administration directed agencies to send the notice. OMB no longer keeps a centralized list of agency shutdown plans on its website. About 97% of VA employees would continue to work during a shutdown, because most VA programs receive advanced funding.