As the US government shutdown entered its second day, uncertainty is looming for thousands of federal employees who are facing being furloughed or laid off. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Thursday that the White House is looking at laying off "thousands" of federal workers. Terming the layoffs unfortunate, Leavitt said it would "not be happening if the Democrats had voted to keep the government open.” 'Democrats playing politics' Leavitt further argued that Democrats were playing politics with the shutdown, and there is "zero good reason". "They are doing it for political reasons. They are doing it because they want to give taxpayer-funded health care benefits to illegal aliens, which is something that American people resoundingly rejected ahead of the election last year," she said. Trump to meet Russell Vought Trump will meet Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought later Thursday, where the two are expected to discuss federal job cuts while maintaining "critical funding." The US. Capitol is photographed, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib) Trump announced the meeting on social media Thursday morning, saying he and Vought would determine "which of the many Democrat Agencies” would be cut — continuing their efforts to slash federal spending by threatening mass firings of workers and suggesting “irreversible” cuts to Democratic priorities. “I can’t believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “They are not stupid people, so maybe this is their way of wanting to, quietly and quickly, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Trump using shutdown to target 'Democrat agencies' Trump has used the government shutdown to increase the political pressure on Democratic lawmakers, saying agencies tasked with environmental protection, racial equity and addressing poverty, among other things, could be gutted due to a funding crunch. House Speaker Mike Johnson underscored Thursday that the shutdown gives Trump and Vought vast power over the federal government. He blamed Democrats and said “they have effectively turned off the legislative branch” and “handed it over to the president.” White House is looking at laying off "thousands" of federal workers. (Photo: AP) “When Congress turns off the funding, and the funding runs out, it is up to the commander-in-chief, the president of the United States, to determine how those resources will be spent,” Johnson said. Still, Johnson said that Trump and Vought take “no pleasure in this.” Trump and the congressional leaders are not expected to meet again soon. The House is set to resume session next week and Democrats are holding fast to their demands to preserve health care funding and refusing to back a bill that fails to do so, warning of price spikes for millions of Americans nationwide.
