A growing number of congressional Democrats are sounding the alarm over the potential mass firings of federal employees after members of their party in the Senate doomed a House-passed continuing resolution to keep the government open.

Several House Democrats gathered on Capitol Hill on Wednesday to voice their outrage after President Donald Trump noted earlier this week that it would be much easier to trim the federal workforce during a shutdown, adding that he was prepared to do so.

“It is deeply offensive that the president is threatening to fire federal workers if we can’t reach an agreement without offering any meaningful solutions here,” Rep. Sarah Elfreth, D-Md., said. during a news conference.

“The president continues to threaten those workers, but please know if you’re a civil servant in the state of Maryland, know that we have your back as a team,” she added.

Trump has used the occasion, nicknamed the “Schumer Shutdown” after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), to press forward with efforts to reshape the federal workforce, warning of mass layoffs and “irreversible” cuts to programs long backed by Democrats.

Instead of relying solely on furloughs, which are typically used during lapses in federal funding, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said layoffs were “imminent.”