“WASHINGTON -- President Trump intensified pressure on Democrats as the government shutdown entered its second day, saying he would begin a process to make far-reaching cuts at federal agencies.
The president said he planned to meet Thursday with Russell Vought, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, to discuss which agencies would be targeted and whether the cuts should be temporary or permanent. Trump, a Republican, signaled that he would focus on agencies and programs that Democrats value.
"I can't believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity," he wrote on social media.
Trump and his senior advisers have said they are considering using the shutdown to follow through on their longstanding goal of shrinking the size of the government and firing federal workers. Those plans are already being challenged in court and have been derided by Democrats.
The White House has a lengthy list of targets for funding cuts prepared by OMB that it plans to roll out in batches if the shutdown drags on, according to administration officials. The list includes laying off federal workers.
"Donald Trump's so-called 'maximum pain' plan isn't hurting Democrats -- it's hurting American families," Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the chamber's Democratic leader, said in a statement. "He's snatching paychecks, threatening jobs, and deliberately inflicting suffering on working people just to score petty political points."
Trump, in his Thursday morning social-media post, noted that Vought worked for the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025, the conservative blueprint for upending the federal bureaucracy that was a flashpoint in last year's election. Democrats focused on Project 2025 in an attempt to turn voters against Trump, who publicly distanced himself from the effort.
Trump said he would seek "to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut."
Vought has already moved on his agenda, saying Wednesday that the government had put a hold on billions of dollars for federal projects in New York and other Democratic-leaning states.
"Republicans must use this opportunity of Democrat forced closure to clear out dead wood, waste, and fraud," Trump said in a Wednesday night post. "Billions of Dollars can be saved."
Federal funding lapsed early Wednesday morning, triggering the first government shutdown since 2019. Hundreds of thousands of federal workers are in the process of being furloughed, and key government services are being paused.
Any effort by Trump and his advisers to use the shutdown to fire federal workers or make permanent cuts to agency budgets would be unprecedented, according to analysts. Administration officials argue the layoffs are necessary to save money that can then be used to keep essential services running during a shutdown, though previous shutdowns have relied on temporarily furloughing employees.
Vought told House Republicans on a call Wednesday that layoffs at agencies would begin later this week, according to participants on the call. Asked about the number of expected layoffs, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, "It's likely going to be in the thousands."
Unions representing government workers sued the Trump administration earlier this week, arguing that plans for mass layoffs during a shutdown are unlawful.
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are divided. Democrats demand that Republicans agree to extend expiring healthcare subsidies, and senior Republicans said they won't negotiate as long as the government is closed.
If enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies aren't extended, they are set to expire at the end of this year, leading to higher healthcare costs for more than 20 million people. Democrats have also demanded that Congress roll back cuts to Medicaid, though they have signaled that isn't a red line.
Trump and congressional allies have argued that Democrats are fighting to protect healthcare for illegal immigrants, a claim Democrats call dishonest. Unauthorized immigrants aren't eligible for ACA benefits. Unauthorized migrants aren't typically eligible to enroll in Medicaid under federal law, but some federal dollars go toward emergency Medicaid coverage for migrants without legal status.
The GOP's sprawling tax and spending legislation, signed by Trump in July, included provisions that limited federal funding for healthcare for unauthorized and "lawfully present" immigrants.
The president has posted AI-generated videos of Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the House Democratic leader, in a sombrero with mariachi music playing in the background. Asked if the video was racist, Vice President JD Vance said during a White House briefing on Wednesday that it was "funny."
"You can negotiate in good faith, while also poking a little bit of fun at some of the absurdities of the Democrats' positions," he said.
Some Republicans have raised concerns about firing federal workers during the shutdown.
"I'm not nuts for it," said Sen. Kevin Cramer (R., N.D.), who warned of potential political backlash. "This is certainly the most moral high ground Republicans have had in a moment like this that I can recall, and I just don't like squandering that political capital when you have that kind of high ground."
Republicans in blue states also aired objections to targeted cuts aimed at Democrats. A spokesman for Rep. Mike Lawler (R., N.Y.) said he "strongly opposes" the announced freeze of billions of dollars for state infrastructure projects.” [1]
1. Trump Threatens Cuts as Political Weapon --- President says he sees an 'opportunity' to hurt Democrats during shutdown. Leary, Alex; Tarini Parti. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 03 Oct 2025: A1.
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