{"id":166568,"date":"2025-10-02T16:53:22","date_gmt":"2025-10-02T16:53:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/us-government-shutdown-updates-trump-wants-to-clear-out-dead-wood-bbc\/"},"modified":"2025-10-02T16:53:22","modified_gmt":"2025-10-02T16:53:22","slug":"us-government-shutdown-updates-trump-wants-to-clear-out-dead-wood-bbc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/us-government-shutdown-updates-trump-wants-to-clear-out-dead-wood-bbc\/","title":{"rendered":"US government shutdown updates: Trump wants to 'clear out dead wood' – BBC"},"content":{"rendered":"

The US government shutdown enters its second day with President Trump posting online that Republicans should use it to "clear out dead wood"<\/a>
Trump wrote that he has an "unprecedented opportunity" and will look at which "Democrat Agencies" to cut<\/a>
In a shutdown, the White House and Office of Management and Budget have full control over which arms of the executive branch will stay running
The White House has said mass layoffs of federal workers<\/a> are "imminent" and could result in people permanently losing jobs
Democrats and Republicans are trading blame over the shutdown – the first in almost seven years – under which thousands of workers have been put on unpaid leave
There is little sign of either side compromising and the next vote that could end the situation will not be held until Friday
Are you an affected US federal worker? Let us know here<\/a>
This video can not be played
Watch: Closed parks and empty buildings as US government shuts down
Edited by Brandon Livesay in New York
Bernadette McCague<\/strong>
BBC News<\/span>
I spoke with an employee at the US Department of Commerce who said that even though they are suffering financially because of the shutdown, they want Congress to stand strong.
Under the shutdown, the Commerce Department is furloughing 34,711 of its 42,984, external<\/span><\/a> total staff, or nearly 81%.
"These shutdowns threaten us too often," said the staffer, who wishes to remain anonymous but whose identity has been verified by the BBC. "I live week to week and will struggle to pays bills."
"However, I will suffer that to not have Congress capitulate to threats and come up with a plan that doesn't gut the American people\u201d.
\"\"<\/span><\/span>Sakshi Venkatraman<\/strong>
Live reporter<\/span>
OMB director Russell Vought
Trump says he plans to use the shutdown to look at "Democrat agencies" that could be cut, and there's a key player the president is leaning on to make those decisions.
"I have a meeting today with Russ Vought, he of PROJECT 2025<\/a> Fame, to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut," the president wrote on social media earlier today.
What is the OMB? <\/b>
Russell Vought is the director of the United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and a Trump appointee.
When Congress fails to keep the government open, the OMB director works with the president to determine which government activities should stop and which are essential.
It then gives vital directions to federal agencies about which employees to furlough.
Posting on X, Vought has announced cancellations of funding from several areas he deemed to be of the political left.
"Nearly $8 billion in Green New Scam funding to fuel the Left's climate agenda is being cancelled," he wrote yesterday.
He also put $18 billion of a New York City infrastructure project on hold. Vought claimed it was operating with "DEI principles".
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt spoke with journalists earlier this morning, telling them it is likely that thousands of federal workers will be laid off during the shutdown.
As for what kinds of employees will be targeted for layoffs, Leavitt says the Trump administration will be looking at "agencies that don't align with the administration's values that we feel are a waste of the taxpayer dollar".
\"\"<\/span><\/span>Sakshi Venkatraman<\/strong>
Reporting from New York<\/span>
Manhattan\u2019s iconic Federal Hall has just closed to tourists.
I spoke with the manager while they were taking down the main sign directing people inside.
He said the building is closed like all other federal monuments and directed me to call general information.
When asked if museum employees were going without pay today, he said he couldn\u2019t comment.
Blanca Estrada and Madeline Gerber<\/strong>
Reporting from Washington DC<\/span>
We're at the National Mall in Washington DC, where we just chatted with Nick Moore, a teacher who is here with a group of his students.
Nick says he was supposed to take the students to the National Museum of the United States Army today. "We've been running into some buildings being closed," he says, adding that they've had to change plans and have a picnic instead.
Nick told us the students were here to see how different branches of government work together.
"Hopefully we'll get to see some kind of compromise being made before too long," he said of the government shutdown.
\"\"<\/span><\/span>Cai Pigliucci<\/strong>
Reporting from Capitol Hill<\/span>
The Trump administration has ramped up its messaging and strategy against Democrats as the shutdown continues.
President Trump posted a Truth Social this morning saying he will speak to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought "to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent".
On the first day of the shutdown, the White House moved to pause or cancel billions of dollars in funding meant for blue states, including $18 billion in infrastructure projects in New York – home of both Senator Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
On the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) government website, a large post on its front page says: "The Radical Left in Congress shut down the government."
Before wrapping up his press conference today, Speaker Mike Johnson was asked about all of this. Johnson said "I think what the HUD website says is the objective truth that we're telling you right now… They are the ones who made that decision".
But even in Trump's own party, some lawmakers have come out against some of these tactics by the administration. Congressman Mike Lawler of New York, a Republican, released a statement yesterday saying he "strongly opposes these harmful cuts, which undermine, amongst other things, our counterterrorism efforts and critical infrastructure projects in New York."
We'll be waiting to see what other cuts are coming after Trump's conversation with Russ Vought later today.
This morning we've heard from House Republicans who have pointed the finger at Democrats for not voting for a "clean" continuing resolution to keep the government open.
"There's nothing clean about it," Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortes, a Democrat, says of the bill. "This is one of the dirtiest tricks that is being pulled on the American people right now.
In a social media video with Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent, Ocasio-Cortes says she is worried health insurance premiums will skyrocket without measures in place to stop them.
"It means a lot of Americans are going to be in danger and Republicans want us to rubber stamp that," she says.
Sanders says cuts to Medicaid and higher insurance premiums means lower-income people will die.
"That's what this 'clean' bill is about," he says.
If you're a federal worker in the US, and feel comfortable sharing your experience about the government shutdown, please consider reaching out.
You can get in touch in the following ways:\u202f\u202f\u202f
\u202fPlease read our\u202fterms & conditions<\/a>\u202fand\u202fprivacy policy<\/a>.
In some cases a selection of your comments and questions will be published, displaying your name and location as you provide it unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published.\u202f\u202f\u202f<\/i>
\"\"<\/span><\/span>Cai Pigliucci<\/strong>
Reporting from Capitol Hill<\/span>
Johnson has just been asked if the president has the authority to lay off thousands of federal workers. Johnson says yes.
He then says Russ Vought, Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), will work with the president on what won\u2019t be funded. Johnson says that when Congress turns off the lights, it\u2019s up to the president to determine what gets funded.
"What would any OMB director do under any president? They're going to look to see for the administration's priorities first, ensure that those are funded," Johnson says.
Rep. Steve Scalise (second from left) took the podium following his colleague Mike Johnson (center)
We've just heard from House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who is pointing the finger of blame on Senator Chuck Schumer, the Senate's highest-ranking Democrat.
President Trump "stands ready to resolve this, but the ball is in Chuck Schumer's hands right now – he has chosen to shut down the government", Scalise says.
Scalise adds that there are things they can negotiate, but only after a continuing resolution, a temporary spending bill, gets passed and the government is reopened.
\"\"<\/span><\/span>Cai Pigliucci<\/strong>
Reporting from Capitol Hill<\/span>
Speaker Johnson\u2019s opening statement today outside his chambers in the Capitol are similar to comments he made yesterday at a press conference.
Republicans have branded this the "Democrat shutdown".
Johnson says Republicans have operated in good faith, pushing forward a clean, nonpartisan, continuing resolution which would fund the government in the short term.
Democrats say that\u2019s not enough, they are tying funding to healthcare subsidies that expire at the end of the year. Democrats want movement on extending those subsidies.
Speaker Mike Johnson (center) flanked by several top Republican lawmakers
House Speaker Mike Johnson has started speaking.
He says Democrats are being "selfish" in not voting to pass the continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government open.
He won't "negotiate" because a CR is something Democrats have voted for before, he says.
\"\"<\/span><\/span>Cai Pigliucci<\/strong>
Reporting from Capitol Hill<\/span>
A large group of reporters are gathered here waiting for Speaker Mike Johnson to speak to us as the government shutdown gets into its second day.
He\u2019s likely to be asked if any conversations or negotiations are underway to convince moderates to support the House-passed short term funding bill, or any signs that the shutdown could come to an end soon.
The House is out this week, despite Johnson\u2019s presence on the Hill. And Congress will not have any votes today because it\u2019s Yom Kippur.
You can click watch live <\/b>at the top of this page to follow along.
Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) employees will continue working during the government shutdown
Are flights still taking off?<\/b>
Will government employees be paid?<\/b>
Is mail being delivered?<\/b>
What about law enforcement services?<\/b>
Some government services across the US are grinding to a halt after a deadline for Democrats and Republicans to agree to a new federal funding package expired. Here's what you need to know:<\/p>\n

And remind me, what's the source of the shutdown?<\/b><\/i>
The Republicans were pushing to pass a bill to extend government funding without other initiatives attached – known as a clean continuing resolution.
But they only have 53 seats<\/b> in the Senate – and need 60 votes<\/b> to pass such a bill, meaning they need support from the Democrats.
The Democrats sought to capitalise on that leverage to try and advance their policy goals in healthcare, which included:
But that was a no-go for Republicans and they came to a standoff. The shutdown won't be resolved until Congress passes a funding bill.
The shutdown began on Wednesday, after Republicans and Democrats in Congress failed to agree a new spending plan.
The next Senate vote to try and end the shutdown will not be held until Friday.
So far, there appears little sign that either side will back down from their positions.
It's possible the situation could drag on and threaten hundreds of thousands of jobs, as well as risk costing the US economy billions in lost output.
\"\"<\/span><\/span>Sakshi Venkatraman<\/strong>
US reporter<\/span>
It's now day two of the US federal government shutdown.
Just a few minutes ago, President Donald Trump posted on social media, saying he's focusing on which "Democrat agencies" can be slashed<\/b>.
"I can\u2019t believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity," he said on Truth Social.
This is the first government shutdown in almost seven year<\/b>s, and Trump says Republicans need to use it to their advantage.
"Republicans must use this opportunity of Democrat forced closure to clear out dead wood, waste, and fraud," he said overnight, again on Truth Social.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said yesterday that mass layoffs of government workers are "imminent"<\/b>, and federal employees have told the BBC they're concerned for their futures.
Democrats and Republicans are trading blame <\/b>over the shutdown, under which thousands of workers have been put on unpaid leave
Stick with us for the latest updates and analysis as this situation continues to unfold.
Copyright \u00a9 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.<\/a><\/p>\n

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