Trump threatens to cut Democrat' programmes, extends funding to military

"President Donald Trump has renewed his threat to cut Democrat programmes as the United States government shutdown heads into its fifteenth day without resolution. The Democrats are getting killed on the shutdown because we're closing up programmes that are Democrat programmes that we were opposed to and they're never going to come back in many cases, Trump told reporters on Tuesday, according to ABC News."

"Trump has already used the government shutdown to pause or cut $28bn in federal funding for infrastructure and energy projects in Democrat-leaning states like California, Illinois and New York. The White House has also started making cuts to the federal workforce. About 4,200 employees from eight government departments and agencies received reduction-in-force notices on Friday, according to CNBC. Major cuts were made at the Treasury Department, the Health and Human Services Department, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."

"Some programmes on the chopping block included those historically supported by Republicans as well as Democrats. They included the entire staff of the Treasury Department's Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, which works with low-income communities, according to CNBC. There are about 2.25 million civilian federal employees, according to the Congressional Budget Office, of whom some 60 percent work in the Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security."

A list of programmes to be cut will be released on Friday after earlier elimination of 4,200 positions across multiple government departments. The administration intends to cut programmes associated with Democrats while protecting Republican-supported programmes. The shutdown has paused or cut $28 billion in federal funding for infrastructure and energy projects in Democratic-leaning states such as California, Illinois and New York. Reduction-in-force notices affected about 4,200 employees across eight departments, with major cuts at Treasury, Health and Human Services, and the CDC. Some eliminated programmes include the Treasury's Community Development Financial Institutions Fund serving low-income communities. Roughly 2.25 million civilian federal employees exist, about 60 percent of whom work in Defense, Veterans Affairs, and Homeland Security, and approximately 750,000 have been furloughed while essential workers continue without pay.

Read at www.aljazeera.com