The White House "punishes" Democratic states - Freezes $26 billion in funds, threatens cuts to the administration
US President Donald Trump's administration has frozen $26 billion in federal funding for states run by Democratic governors, a move that comes after threatening to hit Democrats' priorities during the government shutdown.
Among the programs affected are $18 billion for public transportation projects in New York, where the two top Democratic leaders in Congress live, as well as $8 billion for green energy projects in 16 states led by opposition forces. In a statement to the media, the government warned that the administration could expand the purge of federal employees if the shutdown continues beyond a few days.
These actions clearly show that Trump is determined to use the shutdown to punish political opponents and strengthen control over the $7 trillion federal budget, which the U.S. Constitution assigns to Congress. “Millions of dollars could be saved,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
This is the 15th government shutdown since 1981, and it has halted scientific research projects, financial oversight, environmental cleanup and a host of other government activities. About 750,000 federal employees have been ordered off duty, while others, such as soldiers and border patrol agents, are working without pay.
The White House added that if the shutdown continues, it will begin permanent layoffs of workers, in addition to the 300,000 others who will be laid off by December. This would be an unprecedented step, as previous shutdowns have not led to permanent layoffs. The Democratic speaker of the House of Representatives warned that freezing funding for subway and port projects in New York could cause the loss of thousands of jobs.
Meanwhile, the Senate has failed again in its efforts to keep the government functioning: both the Republican proposal to fund it until November 21, and the Democratic proposal that included additional funding for health care, were rejected by votes in the chamber.
Although Republicans have a majority in the Senate (53-47), they need at least seven Democratic votes to pass the budget bills, as 60 votes are required for approval.
At the heart of the crisis is the $1.7 trillion in funding for federal agencies, which accounts for about a quarter of the US government's annual spending. The rest goes to health care programs, pensions and interest payments on the federal debt, which has reached $37.5 trillion.
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