 "The US Capitol, hours before a partial government shutdown is set to take effect, in Washington, DC. Reuters")
As the US government shutdown extends to day 2, reports are emerging that the White House has already compiled a list of agencies it is planning to target with impending federal firings. Two White officials close to the matter told CNN that US President Donald Trump’s administration is planning to announce the firings as early as tomorrow.
“We could announce the RIFS (Reductions in Force) tomorrow, Saturday or Sunday,” one of the officials told the American news outlet. The source noted that the official is still ironing out some of the specifics of the firings. However, the list, which is expected to come out tomorrow, was mainly put together by the Office of Management and Budget in coordination with the targeted agencies.
According to CNN, Trump met with OMB Director Russell Vought on Thursday. Trump previewed the meeting earlier in the day on TruthSocial. The president said that his administration will be determining “which of the many Democrat Agencies” they plan to cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent.”
Some agencies in Trump’s crosshairs
It is pertinent to note that some American agencies are in the crosshairs because of their diversity, equity and inclusion policies , the official told CNN. However, White House eventually noted that these agencies are being targeted because the administration doesn’t think they align with the president’s priorities.
“We’re looking at agencies that don’t align with the president’s values” and “that we feel are a waste of the taxpayer dollar,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters earlier today.
Trump slams Democrats
In an interview with One America News, Trump cautioned that “it’s a two-way street” that “can bounce back on the other side,” as he continued to accuse Democrats of dangerous rhetoric that leads to violence.
When asked if he has any big plans to hit the campaign trail in 2026, Trump said that he just wants to “survive,” seeming to nod to an assassination attempt during one of his rallies in Butler, Pennsylvania, last year. “Big plans? I want to survive. That’s one of my big plans. You look at what’s going on. It’s crazy. You know, the rhetoric that these crazy Democrats are using is very dangerous. They’ve made politics very dangerous,” the president said.
He went on to express support for Democratic Sen. John Fetterman’s recent post that “unchecked extreme rhetoric, like labels as Hitler or fascist, will foment more extreme outcomes. Political violence is always wrong—no exceptions. We must all turn the temperature down.”
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“Well, he’s right, and it can bounce back on the other side too,” Trump said in response to a question about the Pennsylvania lawmaker’s post. “You know, it’s a two-way street, and it can bounce back the other way.” “What they’re doing is very dangerous. It’s very bad. And there probably hasn’t been this kind of intensity, maybe, in a long time in this country,” he added.