As the federal government enters its 14th day of a shutdown, President Donald Trump has indicated a decisive move to permanently discontinue a series of Democratic-supported initiatives. The White House has announced that a detailed list of the programs affected will be made public on Friday. President Trump has characterized these programs as "socialist" and contrary to the administration's policies.
During a recent engagement with the press, the President stated that the shutdown offered an advantage in curtailing Democratic priorities. "The Democrats are getting killed on the shutdown because we're closing up programs that are Democrat programs that we were opposed to," President Trump said. "And they're never going to come back, in many cases. So we're able to do things that we were unable to do before."
The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has been proactive in this initiative. Earlier in the month, the agency withdrew $8 billion allocated for green energy projects in states with Democratic senators. Additionally, infrastructure ventures in New York and Chicago have been halted for reassessment, though the funds have not been fully retracted. President Trump has hinted at more cuts, emphasizing the administration's intention to cease what he deems as "egregious socialist, semi-communist" programs, reserving full communist labels for programs in New York.
The administration has also reduced operations by laying off federal employees who administer these programs. Last week's downsizing impacted about 4,000 workers from various agencies, marking one of the largest workforce reductions in recent times. Departments affected include the Education Department's special education staff and several Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offices, among others. These measures align with the administration's strategy to limit non-essential functions during the shutdown.
Despite the halt in funding that initiated on October 1, essential services like Medicare, Medicaid, and the Transportation Security Administration remain operational. However, components of the CDC and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have seen partial to full suspensions. OMB has signaled that additional layoffs are forthcoming, urging the continuation of Reductions in Force (RIFs) while waiting out the impasse caused by what they describe as Democratic obstruction.
The layoffs have sparked immediate disapproval. Members of Congress from Maryland and Virginia have expressed their concerns publicly. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) has dismissed the notion that the shutdown necessitated the layoffs as "a big lie" and criticized the administration's approach. He also suggested that the layoffs might be unlawful and has vowed to pursue legal action. Democracy Forward, a left-leaning legal advocacy group, has already brought the issue to court, with an emergency hearing scheduled.
As the shutdown persists, the Trump administration appears committed to redefining federal expenditure, favoring Republican-supported initiatives while sidelining those backed by Democrats. This strategy has provoked a debate between critics, who view it as a disruption to essential governmental services, and proponents, who regard it as an unprecedented chance to eliminate wasteful or ideologically motivated spending.
