WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump making this government shutdown His budget office has rare powers, unlike anything this country has ever seen. choose winners and losers Who will receive a paycheck and who will be fired in an unprecedented restructuring of the entire federal workforce?
as a shutdown Entering the 3rd weekthe Department of Management and Budget and the Office of Management and Budget said Tuesday that they are preparing a “thorough step-up” for further troop reductions. President calls Budget Secretary Russ Vought ‘The Grim Reaper’ I took a chance to fund President Trump’s priorities; pay for the army meanwhile kill an employee Actions in health, education, science and other fields have been criticized as illegal and are being challenged in court.
“Pay our troops, pay our law enforcement, keep RIF going, and wait,” OMB said in a social media post.
and Congress is deadlocked — The Republican-led House of Representatives has refused to return to session, and the Senate is stuck in a loop of denials to reopen the government. Democrats demand health care funding — The White House Budget Office quickly filled the hole.
From Project 2025 to the White House
Mr. Vought, Chief Architect of the Conservatives project 2025 The policy book restructures the size and scope of the federal government in a manner similar to that envisioned in the blueprint. That’s exactly what some lawmakers, particularly Democrats, feared if Congress failed to fund the government.
President Trump’s Priorities — Military Support and President Trump’s Pursuits mass deportation The agenda has remained largely uninterrupted despite the closure. But employees in health, education, science and other federal sectors are also targeted for layoffs. As many as 750,000 workers have been furloughed.
“Donald Trump and Russ Vought and their entire cronies are trying to use this moment to terrorize our patriots,” said Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, as he stood with federal officials outside the White House Office of the Comptroller on Tuesday.
Van Hollen said it’s a “big lie” that President Trump and the budget director are saying federal workers will be laid off during the government shutdown. “This is also illegal and will be challenged in court,” Van Hollen said.
Closed for 3 weeks
The federal government shutdown is in its 14th day and is quickly becoming one of the longest government shutdowns. Congress missed an Oct. 1 deadline to pass an annual spending bill needed to fund the government as Democrats pushed for a deal to preserve an expired health care fund that provides subsidies for people to buy insurance through the Affordable Care Act.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson He said Tuesday that he has nothing to negotiate with Democrats until they pass reopening the government.
The Republican chair welcomed OMB’s recent actions to pay some workers and lay off others.
“They have every right to move the money,” Johnson said at a news conference in Parliament House. If Democrats want to challenge the Trump administration in court, “bring it to us,” Johnson said.
Federal employees are typically furloughed during funding shortfalls and are traditionally paid back when government funding is restored. However, the Vought cantonal budget office announced late last week that troop reductions had begun. More than 4,000 workers received layoff notices over the weekend.
Military salaries and deportations are on track
At the same time, President Trump directed the military to set aside funds to ensure service members do not miss out on paychecks this week. The Department of Defense announced over the weekend that it was able to tap $8 billion in unused research and development funds to pay salaries.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Tuesday that the Department of Homeland Security is relying on President Trump’s major tax cut law for funding to ensure that Coast Guard employees, who fall under the agency’s jurisdiction, are also paid.
“We at DHS have come up with an innovative solution to prevent that from happening,” Noem said in a statement. Thanks to “One Big Beautiful Bill,” “the brave men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard will not miss a paycheck this week,” she said.
In past government shutdowns, the Office of Management and Budget has overseen agency planning while federal funding lapses, ensuring which essential workers can keep their jobs. But Mr. Vaught further strengthened his role by speaking publicly about his plans to go after federal employees.
As government agencies begin to plan for closures, Vought’s OMB encouraged department heads to consider layoffs, an unprecedented move. Mark Paoletta, general counsel for the Budget Office, suggested in a draft memo that workers may not automatically receive back pay even when the government reopens.
‘The Grim Reaper’ replaces Elon Musk’s chainsaw
Last week, Trump posted an AI-generated video showing Vought wearing a cloak and dagger, with the classic rock classic “(Don’t Fear) the Reaper” playing in the background.
“There’s always a Grim Reaper in every authoritarian leader, and Russell Vought is Donald Trump,” said Rep. Steny Hoyer, a Democratic Party official from Maryland.
“Vought would be imprudent to wield a scythe on the federal government,” Hoyer said, comparing the budget secretary to billionaire Elon Musk, who brandished a chainsaw earlier this year as part of the Department of Government Efficiency’s job cuts.
In many ways, the “big, beautiful bill,” as the act is commonly referred to, gives the White House vast new allocations of federal funds for priority projects outside of the normal spending process in Congress.
The policy funneled about $175 billion to the Pentagon, including the Golden Dome Missile Shield and other priority projects, and another $175 million to the Department of Homeland Security, primarily for President Trump’s mass deportation plan. This included additional funding for Mr. Vought’s work at OMB.
President Trump’s huge bill provides billions of dollars
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office says some funds from the “big bill” can be used during the shutdown.
“The government may also decide to continue activities funded by direct spending at various agencies using the mandatory funding sources provided in the Reconciliation Act of 2025, or other mandatory funding sources,” according to CBO.
CBO listed the Department of Defense, Treasury Department, Department of Homeland Security, and Office of Management and Budget as agencies that received eligible funds under the law.
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Associated Press writers Kevin Freeking, Stephen Groves and Mary Claire Jalonick contributed to this report.
