U.S. President Donald Trump has escalated political tensions in Washington by threatening further cuts to what he termed “Democrat Agencies” during the second day of a partial government shutdown.
Reuters reported on Friday that in a post on social media, Trump said he would meet with Budget Director Russell Vought on Thursday to identify departments for funding reductions.
“I can’t believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity,” he wrote, referring to the budget impasse that triggered the shutdown at midnight on Tuesday.
Trump has already suspended federal transit and green-energy funds, measures seen as targeting Democratic strongholds, and has signalled that mass layoffs of federal employees remain on the table.
The president’s actions follow a failure by lawmakers to agree on a US$1.7 trillion spending bill ahead of the new fiscal year.
The impasse has forced the suspension of numerous government services, including economic data reporting and scientific research, although major benefit programmes like Social Security remain operational.
Some 750,000 federal employees have been furloughed, while a further 1.25 million — including military personnel and border officers — are working without pay. If no resolution is reached by 15 October, the next payroll cycle will be missed, raising the risk of widespread hardship among public servants.
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt confirmed the president is considering dismissals, though she did not specify numbers. Several federal workers’ unions have filed lawsuits to block dismissals, but courts have thus far allowed the layoffs to proceed.
Trump also referenced his administration’s alignment with Project 2025, a blueprint developed by the conservative Heritage Foundation that advocates significant downsizing of the federal government, including the elimination of the Department of Education and curtailment of environmental regulations.
Democratic lawmakers have condemned Trump’s rhetoric and actions. Senator Patty Murray, the senior Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, said: “If the president fires a bunch of people, it’s not because of his shutdown — it’s because HE decided to fire them. People aren’t negotiating tools and it's sick that the president is treating federal workers like pawns.”
The Senate is not scheduled to reconvene until Friday, making that the earliest possible date for progress. Though Republicans hold majorities in both chambers, Senate procedural rules require support from at least seven Democrats to pass any funding bill.
The standoff has renewed debate over executive power in federal budgeting. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said the president has broad discretion once funding has lapsed.
“When Congress turns off the funding and the funding runs out, it is up to the commander-in-chief... to determine how those resources will be spent,” he said. “He has that responsibility given to him by the Democrats in the Senate. They can’t complain about it.”
Though previous shutdowns have had limited long-term economic impact, a prolonged impasse could disrupt air travel, hamper exports, and suspend food assistance for millions of Americans.
The last major shutdown — also under Trump — spanned 35 days from 2018 into 2019, over a dispute regarding immigration policy. - October 3, 2025
