Trump uses government shutdown to dole out firings and political punishment

"President Donald Trump has seized on the government shutdown as an opportunity to reshape the federal workforce and punish detractors, by threatening mass firings of workers and suggesting "irreversible" cuts to programs important to Democrats. Rather than simply furlough employees, as is usually done during any lapse of funds, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said layoffs were "imminent." The Office of Management and Budget announced it was putting on hold roughly $18 billion of infrastructure funds for New York's subway and Hudson Tunnel projects - in the hometown of the Democratic leaders of the U.S. House and Senate."

""He can trim the budget to a level that you couldn't do any other way," the president said at the start of the week of OMB Director Russ Vought, who was also a chief architect of the Project 2025 conservative policy book. "So they're taking a risk by having a shutdown," Trump said during an event at the White House."

"Vought, in a private conference call with House GOP lawmakers Wednesday afternoon, told them of layoffs starting in the next day or two. It's an extension of the Department of Government Efficiency work under Elon Musk that slashed through the federal government at the start of the year. "These are all things that the Trump administration has been doing since January 20th," said House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, referring to the president's first day in office. "The cruelty is the point." With no easy endgame at hand, the standoff risks dragging deeper into October,"

The administration is leveraging the government shutdown to pursue major personnel and budgetary changes, threatening imminent layoffs rather than routine furloughs. The Office of Management and Budget froze roughly $18 billion in New York infrastructure funding, including subway and Hudson Tunnel projects. OMB Director Russ Vought, linked to Project 2025, signaled layoffs in a private call with House GOP members. The approach reflects broader Department of Government Efficiency efforts begun earlier in the year. Congressional failure to pass funding has relinquished operational control to the White House and raised the prospect of a prolonged standoff into October.

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