Democrats Dismiss Trump Firing Threats as US Shutdown Drags On [View all]

Source: Bloomberg

October 3, 2025 at 5:00 AM EDT


Democrats are standing firm in the face of President Donald Trump’s threats to leverage the US shutdown to fire thousands of federal workers and extract political revenge, with the two sides locked in a standoff that raises the prospects of lengthy furloughs and a prolonged disruption in government services.

The leaders of both parties are sticking to their talking points as the first shutdown in nearly seven years enters its third day. Lower-level negotiations have failed to strike a deal and another Senate vote Friday on a House-passed temporary spending bill is expected to fail.

The Senate is unlikely to hold votes over the weekend, almost certainly pushing the shutdown into the work week as the two parties blame the other for the failure to reach an accord. It’s a turnabout for Democrats, who in March caved to Trump’s demands amid concerns that the newly inaugurated president was too powerful and popular to take on.

Now, however, the party is betting that their efforts to protect Obamacare premium subsidies and reverse Medicaid cuts will resonate with voters — and that the fight is worth the pain of Trump’s hard-ball tactics. “The vindictive behavior by Donald Trump and his Republican minions as part of this shutdown only serves to highlight the cruelty of this administration,” House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters late Thursday.

Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-10-03/democrats-dismiss-trump-firing-threats-as-us-shutdown-drags-on