Trump Threatens Federal Layoffs Amid Government Shutdown

President Donald Trump signalled on Thursday that his administration will use the ongoing government shutdown to cut “democrat agencies”.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he would meet with his budget director, Russell Vought, to draw up targets for cuts.

“I can’t believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity,” Trump declared.

The president has already halted federal transit and green-energy funding for Democratic strongholds and threatened to accelerate layoffs.

His administration is moving ahead with Project 2025, a conservative plan from the Heritage Foundation that aims to cut the size of government, shut down agencies such as the Department of Education, and reduce rules on pollution.

White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt confirmed that thousands more federal workers could be dismissed.

Democrats condemned the moves as political blackmail. Senator Patty Murray, the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, said Trump was “treating federal workers like pawns.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer accused the president of “using the American people as leverage to punish opponents.”

The shutdown, the 15th since 1981, began Wednesday after Congress failed to pass a stopgap spending bill. At stake is $1.7tr for agency operations, which is about one-quarter of the federal budget.

However, mandatory programs like Social Security remain unaffected.

Roughly two million federal workers have had their pay suspended, with about 750,000 facing layoffs, while troops and border agents are ordered to work without pay.

The freeze has already suspended scientific research, economic reporting, and infrastructure projects.

The administration also blocked $18bn in transportation funding for New York, home to Democratic leaders Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, and $8bn in green-energy projects across 16 Democratic-run states, including California and Illinois.

Vice President JD Vance warned that layoffs could expand if the standoff drags on, adding to the 300,000 workers Trump is expected to push out by year’s end.

Republicans defended Trump’s actions, arguing that the president has authority to allocate resources during a funding lapse.

“When Congress turns off the funding, it is up to the commander in chief to decide how resources are used,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said.

Democrats countered that Trump is overstepping constitutional limits by weaponizing federal spending.

“This isn’t about budgeting, it’s about power,” Jeffries said.

With both chambers deadlocked, the earliest resolution may come Friday, when the Senate is expected to reconvene.