Trump Threatens ‘Irreversible’ Cuts to Federal Benefits During Shutdown

President Donald Trump said that the White House may slash key federal programs if the government shuts down on Tuesday, seemingly suggesting that he would pursue the cuts as a way to punish Democrats for not voting for Republicans’ preferred spending bill.

“We can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible that are bad for them. Like cutting vast numbers of people out, cutting things that they like, cutting programs that they like,” Trump said from the Oval Office. “We can do things medically, and other ways, including benefits. We can cut numbers of people out.”

“We don’t want to do that, but we don’t want fraud, waste and abuse,” Trump continued.

Speaking to reporters a day after a hotly anticipated meeting with congressional leaders from both parties, Trump said the possibility of the government shutting down is “probably likely.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, reacting to Trump’s threats to cut benefit programs, said the president was admitting to “using Americans as political pawns.”

“He is admitting that he is doing the firing of people, if God forbid it happens. He’s using Americans as pawns, as I said,” Schumer said during a press conference Tuesday. “When he says he will do things, he is taking ownership.”

Democrats are holding strong to their demands to prevent further rescissions and extend Affordable Care Act subsidies that help millions of Americans afford health care.

After the meeting, Trump posted a bizarre AI-generated video making fun of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, which prompted another round of acrimonious back-and-forth between both camps.

Republicans say they are unwilling to have any conversations about healthcare until the spending bill passes, and accuse Democrats of using the funding process as “leverage” to pass other policy priorities.

In an exclusive interview with Politico Monday night, Trump said Democrats “want to destroy health care in America by giving it to millions and millions of illegal aliens.” But per federal law, undocumented immigrants are ineligible from federal assistance — including federally funded healthcare like Medicaid.

Funding for the federal government expires at midnight. It remains unclear whether Trump will follow through on his threat to cut federal benefits, though the Office of Management and Budget has encouraged agencies to prepare mass layoff plans that can be put into action during a shutdown.

Democrats have largely shrugged off the OMB’s mass layoff plans as bluster.

“This is an attempt at intimidation,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said last week. “Donald Trump has been firing federal workers since Day One — not to govern, but to scare. This is nothing new and has nothing to do with funding the government.”