Corporate Media Downplay Another Apparent Assassination Attempt Against Trump
Once political violence stops shocking the public, it starts to become normalized, even almost expected.Once political violence stops shocking the public, it starts to become normalized, even almost expected.Trump Admin Is Legally Required To Shut Down The CFPB
The decision marks a turning point for the administrative state and the end of an era for self-funding, self-governing agencies.Trump administration halts funds for projects in blue cities as Democrats refuse to reopen the government
President Donald Trump's administration is ramping up the pressure on Democrats who refuse to reopen the government over two weeks into the shutdown.
Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought announced Friday that he will be pausing over $11 billion of project funding across several blue cities. This pause will halt funds for "lower-priority" projects overseen by the Army Corps of Engineers in New York City, San Francisco, Boston, and Baltimore.
'We're only going to cut Democrat programs, I hate to tell you.'
This pause comes more than two weeks into the Democrat-induced government shutdown after nearly a dozen failed votes on the Senate floor.
"The Democrat shutdown has drained the Army Corps of Engineers' ability to manage billions of dollars in projects," Vought wrote in a post on X. "The Corps will be immediately pausing over $11 billion in lower-priority projects & considering them for cancellation, including projects in New York, San Francisco, Boston, and Baltimore. More information to come from the Army Corps of Engineers."
RELATED: White House deploys nuclear option amid Democrat-induced shutdown stalemate
This pressure is the latest of several actions taken by the Trump administration since the government shut down on October 1. Ahead of the shutdown, Vought notified agencies to begin drafting reduction-in-force notices that later resulted in over 4,200 layoffs across various prominent agencies.
A Clinton-appointed judge in California has since halted those RIFs.
Vought also previously paused billions of dollars' worth of infrastructure and environmental projects in other blue cities like Chicago and New York City.
At the same time, the Trump administration is working to minimize shutdown pains for the military, working through Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth to ensure that service members received their October 15 paycheck.
RELATED: White House dares Democrats with nuclear response to looming shutdown
Trump previously warned Democrats that his administration would take these actions if they did not join Republicans to reopen the government. Assuming all 53 Republicans vote in favor of the funding resolution, at least seven Democrats need to join the GOP to reopen the government.
"We're only going to cut Democrat programs, I hate to tell you," Trump said during a Cabinet meeting last week.
"Chuck Schumer proclaimed this morning that every day gets better for them," Trump added. "No, every day it's actually getting worse for them, and they're having a rebellion in the Democrat Party because they want to stop."
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Democrats feign outrage as Trump administration shutdown layoffs hit: 'They seem to be enjoying it'
With no end in sight to the government shutdown, President Donald Trump's administration is putting Democrats in an unenviable position.
Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought announced Friday that the administration has officially begun issuing reduction in force notices, laying off over 4,200 government workers across several key departments, like Treasury, Health and Human Services, and Homeland Security. As the government approaches its third week of the shutdown, Democrats are left weighing their options.
'The easiest way to stop this is for five [Democrats] to come to their senses.'
These layoffs come as no surprise. Vought previously threatened Democrats with mass layoffs just days before the September 30 funding deadline. Still, Democrats are feigning surprise.
"Here's what's worse: Republicans would rather see thousands of Americans lose their jobs than sit down and negotiate with Democrats to reopen the government," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement. "The way forward is simple: Stop the attacks, come to the table, negotiate, and reopen the government. Until Republicans get serious, they own this — every job lost, every family hurt, every service gutted is because of their decisions.”
RELATED: 'PAY OUR TROOPS': Trump unveils creative solution to minimize military's shutdown pain
Democrats blocked the Republican-led funding bill that would have kept the government open and operating at virtually the same funding levels.The GOP's bill was a simple, clean, 90-page continuing resolution with no partisan anomalies, save a bipartisan line item that would boost security funds for lawmakers following Charlie Kirk's assassination.
Rather than voting alongside Republicans to keep the government open, Democrats decided to introduce their own $1.5 trillion spending bill that would reverse major legislative accomplishments achieved in Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill. Democrats also insisted on immediately renegotiating healthcare subsidies from the Affordable Care Act, though these aren't set to expire until the end of the year.
Democrats are in the minority in both the House and the Senate.
RELATED: White House deploys nuclear option amid Democrat-induced shutdown stalemate
Senate Democrats have stubbornly voted no over a half dozen times on reopening the government. One senior Democratic aide told CNN that the party will not concede short of "planes falling out of the sky."
"The pressure thus far hasn't moved them at all," Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) told Blaze News during a press call hosted by the Republican Study Committee. "They seem to be enjoying it."
"I don't think anybody in the White House takes any pleasure in this at all," Johnson told Blaze News. "I've spoken to the president about this myself. Of course, I've spoken to Russell Vought as well. They're in an unenviable position."
"The easiest way to stop this is for five [Democrats] to come to their senses in the Senate and join Republicans to reopen the government."
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White House deploys nuclear option amid Democrat-induced shutdown stalemate
With no end in sight for the government shutdown, President Donald Trump's administration is turning up the heat on Democrats.
The Office of Management and Budget has officially begun issuing reduction-in-force notices that will lead to "substantial" layoffs across several federal agencies, an OMB spokesperson told Blaze News. OMB Director Russell Vought also confirmed the layoffs in a post on X Friday, saying, "The RIFs have begun."
'Every day it's actually getting worse for them.'
Vought originally directed agencies to begin drafting RIF notices back in September in anticipation of the government shutdown. Trump also signaled on Thursday that mass layoffs and program cuts were imminent, warning that Democrats would get "a little taste of their own medicine."
"We're only going to cut Democrat programs, I hate to tell you," Trump said during the Cabinet meeting Thursday.
RELATED: White House dares Democrats with nuclear response to looming shutdown
"Chuck Schumer proclaimed this morning that every day gets better for them," Trump said. "No, every day it's actually getting worse for them, and they're having a rebellion in the Democrat Party because they want to stop."
Although Democrats have continued to dig their heels in, Republicans have remained unified behind the president, arguing there's nothing to negotiate. Going into the 10th day of the shutdown, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) made his media rounds on Friday by attending several pressers throughout the day, even joining the House Freedom Caucus for its historic, first-ever press call.
During the call, Johnson also hinted that Congress may be considering another rescissions package and that lawmakers will be hearing more "in the days to come."
As of this writing, Democrats have voted to keep the government closed over a half dozen times since the September 30 funding deadline lapsed. The Republican-led funding bill Democrats have so heavily protested is a clean, nonpartisan CR that keeps the government open at the current spending levels, with the exception of increased funding for security following Charlie Kirk's assassination.
In contrast, the Democrats' funding bill boasts a $1.5 trillion price tag, aiming to reverse virtually every legislative accomplishment Republicans secured with Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Even with competing legislation, Congress has reached a stalemate, with both the House and the Senate out of session until Tuesday.
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Deadlocked Democrats continue stubborn standoff, prolonging government shutdown
Senate Democrats stubbornly kicked the can down the road, voting Friday to keep the government shut down.
The government shutdown will continue through the weekend after 44 Democrats voted against the Republicans' clean continuing resolution. However, more Democrats voted with Republicans on Friday than on Tuesday, as New York Democrat Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's coalition begins to crumble.
'The Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity.'
Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, Democrat Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, and independent Sen. Angus King of Maine joined 51 Republicans in voting to reopen the government on Friday. Notably, these are the same three senators who initially bucked their party and voted with the GOP. Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky was the lone "no" vote of his party.
"We could be considering bipartisan appropriations bills through regular order, but instead we are stuck in a shutdown mess of Democrats’ making," Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said. "And the American people are suffering as a result."
RELATED: Trump trolls leftists as shutdown presents key opportunity to cut 'Democrat Agencies'
"Republicans are about to vote (again) to reopen the government and every Democrat outside of a few sensible moderates will vote to keep it shut," Vice President JD Vance said ahead of the vote. "This is the basic fact of the shutdown, and no one can deny it."
Schumer and his fellow Democrats have backed themselves into a corner. Rather than passing the same continuing resolution Democrats have voted for over a dozen times in past spending fights, Schumer is attempting to leverage the shutdown to force Republicans to negotiate on Obama-era health care subsidies.
Democrats even proposed their own competing funding bill, which boasts a $1.5 trillion price tag and would effectively reverse every legislative accomplishment from Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act. In contrast, the Republican-led bill is a clean continuing resolution with a funding anomaly to boost security spending for politicians in light of Charlie Kirk's horrific assassination.
RELATED: Vance makes Jeffries a hilarious promise if Democrats end the shutdown
To Democrats' dismay, their negotiating tactics have proven ineffective. Although the White House has reiterated that the administration would rather reopen the government, President Donald Trump and Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought are seizing the opportunity.
Ahead of the shutdown, Vought notified federal agencies to begin drafting reduction-in-force notices in anticipation of mass layoffs. Trump and Vought also met Thursday to identify which "Democrat Agencies" would be cut, and tens of billions of dollars' worth of projects have already been halted by the administration.
"I can’t believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity," Trump said in a Truth Social post Thursday. "They are not stupid people, so maybe this is their way of wanting to, quietly and quickly, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
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Schumer shutdown holds funding hostage — but Trump seizes opportunity to trim bureaucratic fat
Republican lawmakers have referred to the government closure as the “Schumer shutdown,” blaming Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) for directing his fellow Democrats to oppose the clean continuing resolution that would have temporarily extended funding.
'He’s afraid of his own party.'
Majority Leader Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) shared his comments about the shutdown on Thursday, arguing Democrats had taken the CR hostage.
“I don’t know that there’s a lot to negotiate,” Thune told NBC News.
“I don’t think you can keep this hostage. As soon as they release the hostage, then we can talk about those other issues.”
When asked whether Democrat lawmakers were “forcing Senator Schumer’s hand,” Thune responded, “Sure they are.”
“He’s under a tremendous amount of pressure. The far-left activist base in his party is what’s driving this, and they want to fight with the president,” Thune continued.
“They picked this hostage. I don’t think it’s a smart one, and I think it undermines what they’re trying to accomplish in the long run.”
RELATED: Trump’s MASTER PLAN to ensure shutdown spells DOOMSDAY for Democrats
During a Thursday episode of “Blaze News: The Mandate,” Blaze Media senior politics editor and Washington, D.C., correspondent Christopher Bedford speculated that Schumer is afraid of a primary from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).
“He’s afraid of his own party,” Bedford said. “And it’s people like her that threaten him.”
— (@)
He emphasized the importance of understanding government.
“It’s fine to be AOC and a rock-thrower on the outside. It’s fine to be some of the back-benchers in the GOP, who just want to throw rocks and don’t want to get along with people and don’t understand why they can’t get their way. But at the end of the day, it’s the people who really understand how to wield power and how to use power, which is what’s differentiated this Republican administration from previous ones,” Bedford said.
He explained that those in this Trump administration “actually know how the mechanisms of the bureaucracy work.”
RELATED: Russell Vought’s quiet war on big government
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought is “working diligently” to slash government bureaucracy amid the shutdown.
“I have a meeting today with Russ Vought, he of PROJECT 2025 Fame, to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent. I can’t believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity. They are not stupid people, so maybe this is their way of wanting to, quietly and quickly, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” President Donald Trump wrote on social media Thursday morning.
Trump called on Republicans to use the shutdown as an opportunity to “clear out dead wood, waste, and fraud.”
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Trump trolls leftists as shutdown presents key opportunity to cut 'Democrat Agencies'
President Donald Trump has once again trolled Democrats for giving the administration the perfect opportunity to further implement the MAGA mandate.
As the federal government enters its second day of the shutdown, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Friday that layoffs will likely be in the thousands. This estimate comes as Trump and Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought meet to identify which "Democrat Agencies" should be cut.
'I can’t believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity.'
"It's likely going to be in the thousands," Leavitt said. "It's a very good question, and that's something that the Office of Management and Budget and the entire team at the White House here is unfortunately having to work on today."
"These discussions and these conversations, these meetings, would not be happening if the Democrats had voted to keep the government open," Leavitt added.
RELATED: Vance makes Jeffries a hilarious promise if Democrats end the shutdown
Vought already halted a few projects on Wednesday, totaling roughly $26 billion. Vought first paused $18 billion worth of projects in New York City, including the Hudson Tunnel Project and the Second Ave Subway. Vought also canceled nearly $8 billion in "Green New Scam funding to fuel the Left's climate agenda" across 16 different states.
Trump, likely trolling Democrats about their failed attempts last year to turn Project 2025 into an electoral liability, later announced that he would be meeting with Vought "of PROJECT 2025 Fame" to continue identifying programs and agencies to cut.
"I have a meeting today with Russ Vought, he of PROJECT 2025 Fame, to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent," Trump said in a Truth Social post Thursday.
"I can’t believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity," Trump added. "They are not stupid people, so maybe this is their way of wanting to, quietly and quickly, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
RELATED: Government grinds to a halt after Democrats force first shutdown in 6 years
The Senate is set once again to vote Friday on the pair of continuing resolutions proposed by Republicans and Democrats respectively. The Republican-led CR is the same clean CR Democrats voted for to keep the government open over a dozen times prior, adding only an anomaly for increased security funding for government officials.
On the other hand, Democrats put forth an ideological bill that contains roughly $1.5 trillion worth of funding aimed at reversing everything accomplished in Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Notably, three Senate Democrats initially voted for the Republican led-CR on Tuesday, indicating fractures in New York Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's base. The Senate needs 60 votes, or at least seven Democrats, to pass the funding bill to reopen the government, assuming all 53 Republicans vote in lockstep.
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