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President Donald Trump on Wednesday called on Republicans to view the ongoing government shutdown as an opportunity to reduce federal spending, even as his administration moved to freeze funds and prepare for layoffs.
“Republicans must use this opportunity of Democrat forced closure to clear out dead wood, waste, and fraud. Billions of Dollars can be saved. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Trump wrote on Truth Social late Wednesday.
The White House has signaled its intention to make permanent reductions, breaking from the traditional approach of temporary furloughs. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said layoffs were “imminent,” and the Office of Management and Budget announced an $18 billion freeze on infrastructure funding for New York’s subway and Hudson Tunnel projects, directly affecting the home state of top Democratic leaders.
OMB Director Russell Vought told Republicans that the administration plans to begin firing federal workers within “one to two” days, a move Trump praised. “He can trim the budget to a level that you couldn’t do any other way,” Trump said earlier this week of Vought.
On a call with GOP lawmakers Wednesday, Vought said layoffs would be part of a broader effort to permanently reduce the size of the federal government.
The shutdown, now in its second day, has sparked concerns of economic fallout. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that approximately 750,000 federal workers would be furloughed daily, resulting in $400 million in lost wages.
If the standoff continues, officials warn that employees still reporting for duty could begin missing paychecks later in October, intensifying the strain on households and the economy. The Senate voted again on Wednesday, with a 55-45 vote that fell short of the 60 votes needed to pass a continuing resolution.
The latest Senate effort received support from Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman, Maine Independent Sen. Angus King and Nevada Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, who voted with all Senate Republicans, except for Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, who voted against the resolution.
President Trump argued again on Thursday in a Truth Social post that, “THE DEMOCRATS WANT TO GIVE YOUR HEALTHCARE MONEY TO ILLEGAL ALIENS AND OPEN OUR BORDERS TO THE CRIMINALS OF THE WORLD, A DEADLY COMBINATION BECAUSE EVERYBODY WILL COME!”