In brief
As the government shutdown reaches its third week, President Donald Trump and his budget chief Russ Vought have started to implement significant changes to the federal workforce. This restructuring reveals a stark divide in funding priorities, focusing resources on military pay while laying off federal employees in health, education, and other sectors. GOP leaders defend these decisions while Democrats express outrage about legality and ethics, anticipating court challenges as the shutdown unfolds.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is making this government shutdown unlike any the country has ever seen, enabling his budget office a rare authority to pick winners and losers — who gets paid or fired — in an unprecedented restructuring across the federal workforce.
As the shutdown enters its third week, the Office of Management and Budget said they’re preparing to 'batten down the hatches' with more workforce reductions to come. Trump refers to budget chief Russ Vought as the 'grim reaper,' having seized the opportunity to fund Trump's priorities, including military pay, while slashing jobs in health, education, and other critical areas amidst criticism of legality and planned court challenges.
“Pay the troops, pay law enforcement, continue the RIFs, and wait,” OMB stated in a social media post.
With Congress at a standstill - the Republican-led House refusing to return to session and the Senate stuck in failed votes - the White House’s budget office has quickly filled the void. As such reductions threaten the jobs of up to 750,000 federal workers, the repercussions grow more contentious, as evidenced by statements from Senator Chris Van Hollen, who claims the shutdown's tactics are a 'big fat lie' and illegal, predicting court action.
Now on its 14th day, this federal closure may become one of the longest government shutdowns in history after Congress failed to meet the October 1st deadline to fund the government amidst demands from Democrats over healthcare funds.
House Speaker Mike Johnson has stated that the GOP will not negotiate with Democrats until they vote to reopen the government. Vought's actions include encouraging agencies to prepare for mass layoffs and positioning decisions on federal pay that are typically rectified in back pay once a shutdown ends.
Trump has prioritized military funding, ensuring service personnel are paid, while the less-traditional approach to layoffs has sparked fierce debates about the ethics of management during such a political crisis.
As termed by critics, Vought’s role has been likened to that of a 'grim reaper' in his methods of wielding power during the shutdown. This all unfolds as Trump faces increasing scrutiny regarding the implications of wielding executive power during a government closure.
