Daijiworld Media Network - Washington

Washington, Oct 2: US President Donald Trump has escalated his rhetoric around the ongoing government shutdown, openly celebrating it as a chance to drastically cut federal jobs. In a provocative post on his Truth Social platform, Trump described the shutdown as an “unprecedented opportunity” to slash what he called “Democrat Agencies,” and announced he is consulting with Russell Vought — architect of the controversial Project 2025 — to finalize the list of potential cuts.

“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,” Trump wrote, suggesting that some of those cuts may be permanent.

Trump’s remarks came just a day after the White House confirmed that layoffs across the federal workforce are “imminent” due to the shutdown, which began October 1 after Congress failed to pass a funding bill.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt blamed Democrats for the shutdown, asserting that the administration was now working with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to evaluate which agencies would face immediate staffing cuts.

Vice President J.D. Vance echoed that message, warning that prolonged gridlock could force deeper reductions. “We are going to have to lay people off. We’re going to have to save money in some places so the essential services don’t get turned off in others,” he said during a press briefing.

Democrats, however, pushed back fiercely. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries slammed what he called the “job-killing administration,” accusing Trump of weaponizing the shutdown to further his political agenda. “This administration has been firing federal workers en masse since January 20. They are not interested in governance—they are interested in control,” Jeffries said.

At the heart of the legislative standoff are competing claims over healthcare funding. Republicans accuse Democrats of demanding healthcare subsidies for undocumented immigrants — a claim Democrats have rejected as disinformation. Instead, Democrats say their goal is to reverse healthcare cuts for American citizens embedded in what the GOP had dubbed the “Big Beautiful Bill” passed earlier this year.

As the political blame game intensifies, the consequences of the shutdown are already being felt. Around 750,000 federal employees have been furloughed, with many others forced to continue working without pay. While essential services like law enforcement, border patrol, and air-traffic control remain operational for now, services such as food assistance, government-funded pre-schools, food inspections, and national park operations face increasing disruption.

The shutdown marks the first in seven years, with the last — also under Trump’s presidency — lasting 35 days, the longest in U.S. history. With Republicans controlling both chambers of Congress but still falling short of the 60-vote threshold in the Senate needed to pass funding, the path to resolution remains uncertain.

If the impasse continues, experts warn that the already-strained aviation sector could see a cascade of delays and cancellations as unpaid workers potentially stop reporting for duty — a stark reminder of the high human cost of political deadlock in Washington.