Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) accused President Donald Trump of using Americans as “props” as he threatens mass layoffs of government employees during a government shutdown.
Beshear suggested that Trump is responsible for the shutdown in an interview with NPR this week, noting that it is also Trump’s decision to fire workers from their federal government jobs. Beshear, the Democratic governor of a deep-red state, is a likely contender for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to fire federal workers as he blamed Democrats for the shutdown despite Republicans controlling all three branches of government. The Trump administration also escalated its attacks on Democrats by freezing federal funds to blue-states, including New York.
Despite Trump’s attacks on Democrats, Beshear said the president bears responsibility for the shutdown.
“If he fires a bunch of people, it’s not because Democrats wouldn’t reach a deal. It’s because the president decides and actually fires people,” he said, according to NPR. “People aren’t a negotiating tool. They are not a prop. And that’s how he’s treating these families.”
Trump said on Thursday that he is meeting with Director of the United States Office of Management and Budget Russ Vought to discuss cuts to federal agencies.
“I have a meeting today with Russ Vought, he of PROJECT 2025 Fame, 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,” Trump said on Truth Social.
Trump said the shutdown gives him an “unprecedented opportunity” to implement massive cuts to the federal government.
“I can’t believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity. They are not stupid people, so maybe this is their way of wanting to, quietly and quickly, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Trump wrote.
Vought, the administration’s budget chief, said the White House will begin firing workers within a “day or two,” Axios reported. It’s unclear how many layoffs there could be in the government shutdown.
It’s not clear how long the shutdown could last as both sides dig in. Republicans refused to negotiate with Democrats over the spending bill, and Democrats appear ready to oppose the bill until they get healthcare subsidies extended.
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