Here’s How the Trump Administration Aims to Make Use of the Government Shutdown

By Tyler Neil

Now that Democrats have shut down the government by voting against a clean continuing resolution that would have kept funding at Biden-era levels, President Donald Trump needs to fulfill his threat to fire more bureaucrats.

While Republicans offered to keep funding the government at Biden levels until Congress can pass annual funding legislation, Democrats have unreasonably demanded that Congress continue generous COVID-19-era Obamacare subsidies and reverse the Medicaid reforms in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed earlier this year. Since funding legislation requires 60 votes to pass the Senate, Republicans needed at least seven Democrats or independents to help pass the resolution, and they only got three.

Last week, the White House Office of Management and Budget released a memo, telling federal agencies that if the government were to shut down, they should consider engaging in Reductions in Force to begin the process of laying off employees in projects that are not funded during the shutdown or that are inconsistent with Trump’s priorities.

Democrats who marched alongside federal government unions in protesting Trump’s efforts to cut the size and scope of the federal government through the Department of Government Efficiency should have considered this when voting against funding the government.