(WND News Center)—The federal government went into a partial shutdown mode on Wednesday after Democrats demanded an extraordinary $1.5 trillion in spending for a wide range of their constituencies, including Obamacare subsidies, illegal aliens and leftist propaganda.
And one of the first consequences was an $18 billion hit to the state represented by Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who led the battle for the shutdown.
The New York City projects affected by the White House punching the pause button also hit in the district represented by Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., another advocate for the massive spending agenda.
A report at the Daily Mail noted that those who are “leading the obstruction against Trump’s agenda.”
The “hardball” announcement came from Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, who said the projects were blocked immediately to prevent funds “flowing based on unconstitutional DEI principles.”
President Trump, meanwhile, has discussed his opportunity for a renewal of the cuts made to the federal workforce early in his term by the Department of Government Efficiency.
Tens of thousands of jobs were eliminated as unnecessary.
Vought was scheduled to meet with House Republicans about those plans.
He is responsible for about 3 million workers, and his agency decides which government jobs are essential, and continue to get funding during a shutdown, and which do not.
The publication reported, “Vought previously warned agencies to get ready for a ‘reduction in force notices for all employees,’ specifically highlighting departments and programs that he referred to as ‘not consistent with the president’s priorities.’”
The OMB memo just days ago said agencies needed to have a list of layoff options for workers “whose salaries aren’t paid using the Big Beautiful Bill, obligatory funds. This also included ‘programs and projects’ that are not consistent with ‘the president’s priorities.’”
Trump repeatedly has spoken of options that the administration has during a shutdown that can create impacts that are “irreversible.”
Trump said, “A lot of good can come down from shutdowns. We can get rid of a lot of things that we didn’t want.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson, whose body approved a resolution extending government spending only to see it defeated by Democrats in the Senate, said the shutdown will last until Democrats decide to end it.
Leftist labor unions already are threatening to sue over any job reductions.
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