Shutdown CONFIRMED: Congress Fails to Pass Spending Bill as Trump Threatens ‘Irreversible’ Program Cuts—What This Means for Federal Workers.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The federal government officially entered a shutdown at midnight on Wednesday after congressional leaders failed to reach a consensus on a stopgap spending bill, creating immediate instability in federal operations and leaving lawmakers scrambling for a solution.
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB), under the leadership of Russell Vought, had already directed federal agencies on Tuesday evening to execute their pre-determined plans for an “orderly shutdown.”
The Impasse: Policy Demands vs. Program Cuts
The shutdown is the result of a legislative standoff between the Republican-led House and Senate Democrats.
House Republicans passed a “clean Continuing Resolution (CR)” aimed at keeping the government funded for seven more weeks at current spending levels. This bill would allow the Trump administration to continue its established policy priorities without expanding the federal footprint.
However, Senate Democrats and their leadership have rejected the House-passed CR, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries calling it a “partisan Republican spending bill.” Democrats are reportedly demanding $1.5 trillion in new spending in exchange for their votes to keep the government open, including funding for:
- Healthcare for undocumented immigrants.
- Reversing recent Medicaid reforms.
- Restoring taxpayer funding for Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and National Public Radio (NPR).
Trump’s ‘Irreversible’ Threat
The escalating rhetoric around the shutdown reached a critical point with statements from President Trump, who suggested his administration can use the shutdown period to enact long-term policy changes.
“We can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible, that are bad for them and irreversible by them,” Trump told reporters, specifically mentioning “cutting vast numbers of people out, cutting things that they like, cutting programs that they like.”
In anticipation of potential action by the administration, Federal government labor unions filed a lawsuit on Tuesday, seeking to block the Trump administration from conducting mass layoffs or program cuts during the shutdown period.
The standoff spotlights a deep partisan divide over federal spending priorities, with Republicans accusing Democrats of using the shutdown as “political theater” to force a left-wing policy agenda, and Democrats calling out the limited nature of the House-passed funding bill.
What Happens Next?
With the government officially unfunded, federal employees are facing furloughs, and many government services are being suspended until a new deal can be reached. The pressure is now squarely on Congress to find a path forward to break the impasse and restore government operations.
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I won’t miss the do-nothing DEI hires that dominant the government jobs.
Ever try to get the FTC or other agencies to enforce spam email? Junk faxes? scam callers? Spoofed ?
Postal service sits on packages for 5 days at the regional distribution facilities.
Fire them all.. use private contractors based on ‘merit’
OMG. Common sense.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to down-size the Federal Government, and Trump should fully take advantage of this. The ultimate solution is a Balanced Budget amendment, but THAT won’t happen until we can get term limits in place. Demand term limits!! NO MORE DEFICITS.