White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Thursday that thousands of federal workers face potential job losses amid the ongoing government shutdown, which has entered its second day. Leavitt stated that the Office of Budget and Management (OMB) is “unfortunately” working to reduce the workforce, with the number of affected employees likely in the “thousands.” She attributed the crisis to Democratic opposition to a clean 7-week continuing resolution (CR), claiming Democrats instead pushed an alternative bill demanding Medicaid funding for non-citizens and other “left-wing priorities” totaling $1.5 trillion.
President Donald Trump amplified his criticism on Truth Social, calling the shutdown an “opportunity” to eliminate “dead wood, waste, and fraud” from government agencies. He accused Democrats of hypocrisy, citing their support for policies that allocate taxpayer funds to illegal aliens, and claimed he had directed OMB Director Russ Vought to assess which agencies should be cut. Trump also falsely asserted that the shutdown was a deliberate move by “Radical Left Democrats” to “quietly and quickly, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.”
Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson defended the clean CR, stating there was “nothing to negotiate” in the legislation. Meanwhile, the White House announced $18 billion in infrastructure funding delays for New York City, home to Democratic leaders Rep. Hakeem Jeffreys and Senator Chuck Schumer. Leavitt reiterated that the workforce reductions would not have occurred if Democrats had voted to keep the government open, accusing them of lying about their commitment to taxpayer benefits.
The Senate has failed to pass the Republican CR three times, with a new vote scheduled for Friday.
