Will fire Americans till Democrats blink: Trump's message on shutdown

With the US government shutdown entering its third week, White House confirmed on Friday that layoffs of federal employees had begun. However, President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that the military would continue to receive pay despite the ongoing closure. The prolonged shutdown, caused by a budget impasse in Congress, has left hundreds of thousands of federal employees without salaries, while the administration begins mass layoffs to pressure Democrats into negotiations.

Vice President JD Vance on Sunday warned of “painful” cuts to the federal workforce as the shutdown entered its 12th day, cautioning that the longer the stalemate continues, the deeper the job losses will be. While assuring that the administration is working to protect military pay and limited aid programmes such as food assistance, Vance admitted that more civil servants would soon face uncertainty.

Mass layoffs

The White House notified that layoffs of federal employees had begun. President Trump’s budget chief, Russ Vought, announced on social media that the government was moving ahead with plans to dismiss some of the 750,000 federal workers currently on unpaid leave. The Office of Management and Budget described the layoffs as “substantial” but did not provide exact figures.

A court filing revealed that more than 4,000 federal employees had already been dismissed, including over 1,000 each from the Treasury Department and the Department of Health and Human Services. Other departments affected include Education, Housing and Urban Development, Commerce, Homeland Security and Energy.

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Trump told reporters that the firings would be “a lot and it’ll be Democrat-oriented because we figure they started this thing,” in a move widely viewed as an attempt to intensify pressure on opposition lawmakers. Democratic leaders condemned the decision as unlawful and politically motivated. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer criticised the administration for creating “deliberate chaos,” accusing Vought of “firing thousands of Americans with a tweet.”

Unions representing 800,000 federal workers have petitioned a federal court in San Francisco to block the dismissals, with a hearing scheduled for October 16 to determine their legality.

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Federal services crippled as political stalemate persists

The shutdown, which began after the September 30 funding deadline passed without agreement, has halted nonessential government services across the country. Senate Democrats have repeatedly rejected Republican resolutions to reopen agencies, citing opposition to provisions that would end subsidies keeping health insurance affordable for 24 million Americans.

Public servants who remain employed are working without pay, and 1.3 million active-duty military personnel are expected to miss their paycheques due next Wednesday, a situation unprecedented in modern US shutdowns. “We’re not in a good mood here in the Capitol — it’s a somber day,” said Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, acknowledging the growing strain on government workers.

The Bureau of Labour Statistics announced it had postponed the release of key inflation data, rescheduling the consumer price index report to October 24 to ensure timely Social Security payments. Meanwhile, Trump’s attention has largely shifted toward the Gaza ceasefire talks and his controversial deployment of federal troops to bolster immigration enforcement in Democratic-led cities such as Chicago and Portland.

Republicans are proposing an extension of the current budget, with the same spending levels, while Democrats are calling for an extension of subsidies for health insurance for low-income households.

Several Democratic votes are required to pass a budget, despite the Republican majority.

But Trump has rejected any negotiations with the opposition on health issues without reopening the federal government as a prerequisite.

(With agency inputs)