Trump threatens Democrats with 'irreversible' program and job cuts in shutdown
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The news: Trump warned congressional Democrats that allowing the federal government to shut down at midnight would enable his administration to take “irreversible” actions, including shutting down programs important to them and cutting “vast numbers of people” from the federal workforce.
What they said: Trump said “we may do a lot” when asked how many federal workers might be laid off. “We’re going to see what happens,” Trump said. “We can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible, that are bad for them and irreversible. Like cutting vast numbers of people out, cutting things that they like, cutting program that they like,” he said. “So, they’re taking a risk by having a shutdown.”
The context: The last US government shutdown happened in 2018-2019, also under Trump, and lasted over a month. This would be the 15th shutdown since 1981.
Republicans are pushing for a short-term funding extension without healthcare provisions, while Democrats insist on including extended Affordable Care Act subsidies and reversing recent Medicaid cuts.
Trump's threat comes after no agreement emerged from his meeting with top Democratic leaders on Monday.
A shutdown would disrupt a range of government services. For example, The Labor Department said it would not release its monthly unemployment report. Airlines have warned that a shutdown could slow flights. The Small Business Administration said it would stop issuing loans, while the Environmental Protection Agency would suspend some pollution-cleanup efforts.
Medicare reimbursements for at-home “acute hospital care” and telehealth medical visits would also expire, forcing some patients to seek inpatient facilities.
The White House has directed agencies to draw up plans for widespread firings if the government closes down. The shutdown would begin at 12:01 am Wednesday local time (2:01 pm AEST) unless Congress agrees on a deal to temporarily fund federal agencies
The sources: The White House, Reuters, Bloomberg
