Federal Shutdown Enters Ninth Day
"They Will Get a Taste of Their Own Medicine"
Senate Fails Again to Pass Stopgap Spending Bill
As the U.S. federal government shutdown-an interruption of government work-entered its ninth day due to a standoff between the two major parties, President Donald Trump announced on the 9th (local time) that he would permanently cut funding for government programs favored by the opposition Democratic Party. By using budget cuts for policies and projects popular in Democratic-leaning regions or among Democratic supporters as leverage, he once again increased pressure on the Democrats, aiming to secure their cooperation in passing a stopgap spending bill.
President Trump stated during a Cabinet meeting at the White House that day, "We will only cut Democratic programs."
He did not specify which programs would be targeted, but explained, "These are programs that are very popular with Democrats but, frankly, not popular with Republicans." He added, "This is what they (the Democrats) wanted, and they will get a taste of their own medicine," once again placing blame for the shutdown on the Democrats.
This is not the first time President Trump has pressured the Democrats. On the second day of the shutdown, October 2, he posted on his own social networking service, Truth Social, that he had held a meeting with Russell Vought, Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), to discuss "which 'Democratic institutions,' which are nothing more than political fraud, to cut, and whether those measures would be temporary or permanent." This was a clear warning that government programs important to Democrats would be suspended if they did not cooperate in resolving the shutdown.
The Trump administration has already taken steps to cut and freeze funding for Democratic strongholds and projects prioritized by the Democratic Party. On October 2, Director Vought announced the suspension of approximately $18 billion in funding for infrastructure projects in New York City, a Democratic-leaning area, and the intention to cut $8 billion from budgets related to environmental policies. On October 3, he further announced the suspension of $2.1 billion in funding for transportation projects in Chicago, thereby increasing the pressure.
Additionally, the White House has repeatedly warned that a prolonged shutdown would inevitably lead to large-scale layoffs of federal employees, further pressuring the Democrats. However, the Republican Party leadership, which is the ruling party, reportedly urged restraint, expressing concern that layoffs or cuts to support for vulnerable groups could provoke backlash from voters.
The Senate once again put a stopgap spending bill to a vote that day, but it was rejected. Both the Republican and Democratic parties introduced their own versions of the bill, but neither was able to secure the 60 votes needed for passage.
Currently, the U.S. Congress has failed to pass the 2026 fiscal year budget, which was due to start on October 1, resulting in a shutdown that has halted government work except for essential functions. Both the Republican and Democratic parties have stated their intention to first pass a temporary spending bill to resume government operations before continuing negotiations on the full budget, but the gap between their positions remains wide and no compromise has been reached. The Democrats insist that the extension of Obamacare subsidies must be included in the temporary spending bill, but the Republicans are refusing to agree to this demand.
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