The Trump administration is expecting a government shutdown come Wednesday and there are no current plans to negotiate with Democratic leadership, according to a senior White House official.
“We’re going to extract maximum pain,” said the official, granted anonymity to discuss political strategy, adding that Democrats “will pay a huge price for this.”
The comments underscore the White House’s belief that Democrats will be blamed for a shutdown and its ripple effects, which could include mass layoffs across the federal government.
POLITICO reported Wednesday that the Office of Management and Budget is instructing federal agencies to prepare reduction-in-force plans for mass firings during a government shutdown, specifically targeting employees who work for programs that are not legally required to continue.
“Historically, it’s the aggressor that always loses,” the senior White House official said. “And quite simply, their constituencies and their priorities are all going to get chewed up, and ours, not so much.”
The official said the second Trump administration is far better equipped to battle Democrats during a shut down than it was when this happened during his first term.
Many Democrats believe the White House is bluffing about its sweeping layoff plans, and insist Republicans will bear responsibility for a shutdown in the public eye because the GOP controls the government.
Democrats are demanding Republicans negotiate a bipartisan stopgap spending measure. Among their asks is for the GOP to extend certain Affordable Care Act subsidies, which were expanded by Congress in 2021 and are due to sunset at the end of the year.
President Donald Trump on Thursday blamed Democrats for making “unserious and ridiculous” demands, foreshadowing what is likely to be the go-to talking point should neither side blink ahead of the Tuesday night deadline.
“He read all the shit they’re asking for, and he said, ‘on second thought, go fuck yourself,’” the White House official said.
Administration officials believe that once a potential shutdown starts, Democrats won’t be able to hold out “very long” and that GOP allies on the Hill are aligned. They “are strapped in for a fight. They’re gonna make them vote five-plus times,” the senior official said.
The president, who canceled a planned meeting with Democratic congressional leaders this week, is also attempting to tie Democrats to what he believes are unpopular policies, accusing them on social media of wanting to “force Taxpayers to fund Transgender surgery for minors” – a charge that puzzled even some Republicans.
Democrats maintain that Trump must change his strategy if he wants to keep the government open, noting that any funding bill needs their votes to clear the Senate filibuster.
“In what world do you ask people for their votes without sitting down and having a conversation with them,” said Shalanda Young, who served as OMB director under former President Joe Biden.
Every Senate Democrat, except for Pennsylvania’s John Fetterman, voted last week to reject a clean, seven-week funding bill spearheaded by Republicans.
“We’re bracing for impact,” the White House official said.
