Topline
President Donald Trump warned the federal government could permanently cut public benefits if the government shuts down, hours before the deadline for Congress to pass a new funding deal with few signs either party is willing to budge in deadlocked negotiations.
Trump threatened Democrats that the federal government could “do things during the shutdown that are irreversible . . . medically and other ways, including benefits, we can cut large numbers of people,” warning the GOP was prepared to blame Democrats for the permanent reductions and predicting a shutdown is “probably likely” but not “inevitable.”
The Congressional Budget Office said 750,000 workers could be furloughed daily in a shutdown, with their compensation totaling $400 million, in a new letter to Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa.
Trump told Politico “I don’t worry about that” in an interview published Tuesday whether he fears Americans will blame Republicans for a shutdown, hours before the Senate is set to vote again on a GOP-sponsored bill that has already failed to clear the upper chamber.
Calling Democrats “deranged,” Trump claimed they “want to destroy healthcare in America by giving it to millions and millions of illegal aliens, referring to Democrats’ proposal to undo provisions of Trump’s signature policy bill passed earlier this year that would block some noncitizens from public health benefits, according to Politico.
Trump posted an AI-generated video showing House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries with a sombrero and a mustache standing next to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer as he claims Democrats want to give healthcare to “all these illegal aliens . . . so they can vote for us,” prompting Jeffries to call the video “disgusting” and Trump to accuse Republicans of throwing “tantrums.”
Trump told reporters “if it has to shut down, it’ll have to shut down,” alleging Democrats “want to have transgender for everybody,” calling them “crazy.”
Trump has repeatedly brought up gender-affirming healthcare in discussing the government shutdown—though it’s unclear what he’s referring to. Politico notes some Trump allies argue that an extension of federal tax credits in the Affordable Care Act, which Democrats insist on, continues taxpayer support for gender-affirming healthcare, since five states require insurance to cover some services.
The Office of Management and Budget instructed federal agencies in a memo to formulate plans for mass layoffs if the government shuts down by identifying programs whose discretionary funding will expire on Oct. 1, along with those that don’t align with Trump’s agenda.
The move was widely viewed as a way to exact maximum pain on Democrats if they refuse to agree to Republicans’ proposal to avert a shutdown by setting the stage to blame them for staffing reductions.
Trump canceled a meeting with congressional Democratic leaders planned for later in the week, accusing them of “unserious and ridiculous demands” in exchange for their votes for a GOP spending plan to keep the government open.
The Senate rejected proposals from both Republicans and Democrats to keep the government open, with the Republican plan failing in a 44-48 vote, short of the 60 needed to break the filibuster.
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., voted alongside Republicans to approve their plan to continue the existing budget through Nov. 21, while Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, were the only two Republicans to vote against it.
The Democratic plan was rejected 47-45, with seven Republican senators missing the vote.
The House passed the GOP-backed proposal, what’s known as a continuing resolution, in a 217-212 vote.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the Trump administration’s threats to fire federal workers if the government shuts down “an attempt at intimidation” in a statement.
Democrats could benefit politically from forcing a shutdown, according to political experts, who have noted it’s one of the few tools they have to counter Republicans, which control all three branches of government, since the GOP needs at least seven Democratic votes to move the legislation through the Senate. It’s a risky move as shutdowns are generally unpopular with voters.
In recent previous shutdown negotiations, a small coalition of right-wing Republicans have threatened to withhold their votes if the new spending plan doesn’t adhere to their demands, while Democrats have typically been averse to shutdowns. Democrats, polling at their lowest level in history, according to Gallup, have a unique opportunity to use the shutdown negotiations as a show of resistance to the Trump administration, and a way for the party to rebuild its image ahead of next year’s midterm elections.
The last time the government shut down, during Trump’s first term in December 2018, it was the longest shutdown on record, lasting 35 days. At the center of the dispute was Trump’s demand for more border wall funding, which he eventually abandoned to allow the government to reopen.
If Congress doesn’t approve a new spending plan before the existing one expires on Sept. 30 at midnight, all non-essential workers will be furloughed, while essential government employees, such as military personnel and airport security, will be asked to continue working without pay. Other services, such as mandatory spending programs including Social Security and Medicare, would continue to operate normally, however.
National parks and museums would also likely close or remain open with reduced services. Some federal agencies, such as the federal housing administration, a division of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, would stop processing new loans, and routine inspections by the Food and Drug Administration and Environmental Protection Agency would be curtailed or stopped. In the previous shutdown, some air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration officials stopped showing up for work after weeks without pay, causing flight delays at major airports.
$1 billion. That’s how much disruptions in air and rail travel and national parks and museums closures could cost the economy in the event of a shutdown, according to tourism officials.
Trump Calls Off Meeting With Democrats: Blasts ‘Ridiculous Demands’ (Forbes)
White House Budget Office Threatens Mass Firings If Government Shutdown Happens (Forbes)
Democrats Could Benefit From A Government Shutdown—Here’s Why (Forbes)