(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump urged Republicans to use the government shutdown to “clear out dead wood” from the federal bureaucracy, sharpening his long-standing ambition to shrink Washington’s workforce.
Taking to Truth Social early Thursday, the president issued a short post making clear his demand:
Republicans must use this opportunity of Democrat forced closure to clear out dead wood, waste, and fraud. Billions of Dollars can be saved. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!
The standoff began after Congress failed to break a deadlock over whether to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies. Democrats argue the protections are essential. Republicans insist they should be handled outside the spending bill.
Trump, however, has sought to turn the crisis into leverage for a broader ideological project, blaming Democrats for the shutdown while following through with plans for mass firings, which will also be blamed on Democrats.
At a White House event on Tuesday, he declared: “The Democrats want to shut it down, well when you shut it down, you have to do layoffs. So we’d be laying off a lot of people that are going to be very affected. And they’re Democrats, they’re going to be Democrats.”
The White House hardened that line on Wednesday. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said job cuts would begin within days.
Vice President JD Vance echoed the warning, saying, “Let’s be honest, if this thing drags on, we are going to have to lay people off.”
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