With the "Big Cleanup" closing the doors! The Trump administration has drafted a list of agency cuts, set to begin as early as Friday.

Original author: Jin10

Reprint: White55, Mars Finance

According to reports, two White House officials revealed that the U.S. government has identified a list of federal agencies that are set to be cut, with a specific plan expected to be announced as early as tomorrow. "We might announce the streamlining plan on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday," one of the officials stated. Currently, the government is still refining the specific details of the cut plan, and this list is primarily drafted by the Office of Management and Budget in collaboration with the targeted agencies.

U.S. President Trump met today with Russell Vought, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget. Earlier, when previewing the meeting on a social media platform, he stated that they would jointly decide which departments to cut "among the many Democrat-controlled agencies," and whether these cuts would be temporary or permanent. An official revealed that Trump meets and talks with Vought several times a day.

Trump said in a social media post, "I can't believe the radical left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity."

Trump has frozen federal transportation and green energy funding for states leaning towards the Democratic Party, and has threatened to fire more federal employees during the government shutdown that began on Wednesday due to congressional partisan gridlock, as he moves towards his goal of cutting 300,000 federal workers by the end of the year.

In his post, Trump mentioned the "Project 2025" that Walter is involved in, which is a plan developed by the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation, calling for a fundamental reduction of the federal government. The Trump administration has implemented many aspects of this plan, such as dismantling the Department of Education and weakening the government's power to combat pollution.

White House spokesperson Levitt stated that Trump may lay off thousands of staff, but she did not provide details.

Several federal employee unions have filed lawsuits to prevent this from happening, but the federal court has allowed layoffs to continue during the litigation of similar cases.

The top Democratic member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Patty Murray, warned Trump that more layoffs do not help end the legislative deadlock that led to the government shutdown.

Murray said on social media, "People are not tools for negotiation. The president treats federal workers as pawns, which is pathological. Threatening and choosing to harm people will not win my votes."

This government shutdown is the 15th since 1981, and the U.S. government has suspended scientific research, economic data reporting, and various other activities, while major welfare programs like Social Security will continue to disburse funds.

A standoff in Congress has frozen about $1.7 trillion in institutional operating funds, which accounts for approximately a quarter of annual federal spending, with the remainder primarily allocated for healthcare and retirement programs, as well as interest payments on the growing $37.5 trillion debt.

The salaries of two million workers have been suspended.

Approximately 2 million federal employees' salaries have been suspended, with about 750,000 being ordered not to work, while others, such as military and border patrol personnel, are being asked to work without pay. If the standoff is not resolved by October 15, the next payday, many could face personal hardships.

A prolonged government shutdown could disrupt air travel, threaten food assistance for millions of Americans, and put pressure on exports and mortgage applications.

However, past government shutdowns have not had a lasting impact on the broader U.S. economy. The longest one occurred in 2018 and 2019 during Trump's first term, when Congress was unable to resolve a dispute over immigration issues, leading to a 35-day government shutdown.

The shutdown was triggered at midnight local time on Tuesday, when Democrats and Republicans failed to reach an agreement on a spending bill that would allow the agency to continue operating past October 1 (the start of the new fiscal year). Democrats insisted that any appropriations bill must also extend the healthcare subsidies set to expire at the end of the year, while Republicans stated that the two issues must be addressed separately.

The government shutdown will last at least until Friday, when the Senate will meet again to address the issue. Trump's Republican Party holds the majority in both houses of Congress, but Senate rules mean they will need at least seven Democratic votes to pass a funding bill.

At the same time, Trump has made it clear that he will exert pressure on his opponents by targeting government programs favored by them. Democrats have stated that this amounts to hostage-taking, causing ordinary Americans to lose their jobs, and it also infringes upon Congress's constitutional authority over federal spending.

Republicans have shown little concern so far, believing that if Congress abandons its responsibility to pass spending bills, this administration can prioritize spending in whatever way it sees fit.

"When Congress cuts off funding and the money runs out, it should be up to the Commander-in-Chief, namely the President of the United States, to decide how to spend those resources," House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters. "This is a responsibility given to him by Senate Democrats. They cannot complain about it."