US President Donald Trump on Tuesday warned Democrats in the US Congress that if they allow the federal government to be closed at midnight, his administration will be able to take “irreversible” measures, including the closing of important programs for them, informs Reuters.
“During the shutdown, we can do irreversible things, which are unfavorable to them and irreversible to them, such as dismissing a large number of people, eliminating things they like,” Trump said in the reporters, in the Oval Office of the White House.
“You all know Russell Vought,” Trump added, referring to the director of the Management and Budget Office. “It has become very popular lately, because it can reduce the budget to a level that you could not reach in any other way,” the American leader continued. Trump did not specify the measures he could take, but recently raised the possibility of further reducing federal staff.
At midnight, the United States will enter the 15th “Shutdown” since 1981, unless the Republicans and Democrats in Congress will reach an agreement on the temporary financing of federal agencies with the debut, on Wednesday, of a new fiscal year.
However, nothing indicates such a result.
The Senate controlled by Republicans is to vote for a draft law on the temporary expenses that has already failed once, without signs that a second vote will be successful before the deadline from midnight (or 04:00 GMT on Wednesday).
Democrats want to change the draft law to expand the health benefits for millions of Americans to expire at the end of the year. Republicans say they have to approach this problem separately.
The budget confrontations have become a regular feature in Washington, as national policy has become more and more dysfunctional, although they are often resolved at the last moment. The last “closure” of the government lasted 35 days in 2018 and 2019, during Trump's first term, due to an immigration dispute.
The struggle of trillion dollars
Currently, the problem is 1.7 trillion dollars that finance the operations of agencies, which represents about a quarter of the total government budget of $ 7 trillion. Much of the rest of the budget is allocated to health and pension programs, as well as interest payments for the growing debt of $ 37.5 trillion.
Meanwhile, federal agencies have begun to issue detailed plans that would lead to the closing of the offices carrying out scientific research activities, customer services and other activities considered non -essential and send thousands of employees at home if the Congress does not reach an agreement before the financing expires.
Tax experts have warned that some Americans could already feel the consequences.
Given that medical refunds for “acute hospital care” could be interrupted, patients were forced to find hospitalization units, said Jonathan Burks, a health specialist at Bipartisan Policy Center (Bipartisan Politics Center). “It is a real disturbance at this time,” he told reporters on Tuesday morning.
He added that medical refunds for remote medical consultations will also expire at midnight.
Airlines have warned that a “shutdown” could lead to flights, while the Labor Department has announced that it will not publish the monthly unemployment report, a carefully followed economic barometer. The Little Enterprise Administration has also transmitted that it will stop granting loans, while the Environmental Protection Agency has announced that it will suspend some efforts to combat pollution.
The longer the “shutdown”, the greater the impact.
Subsidies for social housing intended for low -income families could decrease, and some operators of early head start education for children in low -income families could register delays in receiving subsidies, according to the experts of the Bipartisan Policy Center.
A false video
The meeting at the White House, Monday, between Trump and Congress leaders has not led to any agreement. Trump then published a fake video, showing AI images with the Senate Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer, who seemed to criticize Democrats, while the Democratic leader in the Chamber of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries, appeared next to him, with a sombrero hat and a mustache drawn on the face.
Speaking to reporters in front of the US chapter, Jeffries responded to Trump's post: “Next time you have something to say about me, don't avoid a racist and false video created with the help of artificial intelligence. When I return to the oval office, tell me in front.”
Any last -minute agreement should also be approved by the Chamber of Representatives controlled by Republicans, who will not meet until Wednesday, after the interval required for the adoption of financing expires.
The administration threatens with even more dismissals
Trump's availability to ignore the laws on the expenses adopted by Congress has created even more uncertainty this time, and he threatened to expand the purification of federal employees if the Congress allows the “closure” of the Government.
In the spring, he ordered the federal agencies to consider the dismissal of the “non-essential” employees who would normally have not been ordered to work during the “shutdown”.
Trump also refused to spend billions of dollars approved by Congress, which caused some Democrats to wonder why they should vote for any kind of expense. Although Republicans control both rooms of Congress, they need at least seven democrats to adopt the law in the Senate.
Together with extended health subsidies, Democrats have also tried to ensure that Trump will not be able to cancel these changes if they are promulgated.
Excluded from power in Washington, Democrats are under the pressure of their supporters to get a rare victory before the intermediate elections of 2026, which will determine the Congress for the last two years of Trump's mandate. The pressure in the field of health offered them the chance to join a problem that resonates with the voters.
However, some members of the party have wondered if it is worth risking a “shutdown”.
“It is not about politics or who will be accused of this. It is about the damage to millions of Americans,” Senator John Fetterman told Pennsylvania told reporters.
