U.S. President Donald Trump speaks throughout a cupboard assembly on the White Home in Washington, D.C., U.S., Oct. 9, 2025.
Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters
President Donald Trump on Thursday stated his administration plans to make use of the continuing authorities shutdown to completely lower authorities packages standard with Democrats, his newest menace amid the funding stalemate.
“We’re solely slicing Democrat packages,” Trump stated throughout a Cupboard assembly on the White Home.
It was not instantly clear which packages Trump had in thoughts, however he specified that they have been “very talked-about Democrat packages that are not standard with Republicans, frankly.”
“They wished to do that,” Trump stated, doubling down on blaming Democrats for the shutdown.
They may “get a bit style of their very own medication,” he added.
The president’s menace to focus on Democratic priorities got here one week after he initially floated the concept of inflicting ache on his political opponents throughout the shutdown, which is now in its ninth day.
He stated in a Fact Social put up final Thursday that the congressional funding lapse gave him an “unprecedented alternative” to slash what he described as “Democrat Companies.”
He additionally wrote he could be assembly with Russell Vought, the White Home Workplace of Administration and Funds director, to find out what to chop.
On the primary day of the shutdown, Vought introduced that the administration was freezing about $18 billion in funding for New York Metropolis infrastructure tasks, and canceling roughly $8 billion extra in climate-related funding for Democratic-leaning states.
Two days later, Vought stated that $2.1 billion in Chicago transit undertaking funding has additionally been placed on maintain.
The administration is contemplating cancelling an extra $12 billion earmarked for clear power tasks, Semafor reported Tuesday.
The shutdown started on Oct. 1 after Republican and Democratic congressional leaders couldn’t go appropriations payments to maintain the federal government funded previous the tip of the fiscal 12 months.
Republicans wish to go a stopgap measure to renew funding largely at present ranges by means of Nov. 21. Democrats say any funding invoice ought to embrace extra health-care protections, together with extending premium Inexpensive Care Act tax credit earlier than they expire on the finish of the 12 months.
The dueling proposals have repeatedly did not go within the Senate.
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