The US government shutdown enters its second day with President Trump posting online that Republicans should use it to “clear out dead wood”
Trump wrote that he has an “unprecedented opportunity” and will look at which “Democrat Agencies” to cut
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 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.
White House says thousands of federal workers will likely be laid off
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”.
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:
On Tuesday, Democrats in the Senate refused to back an eleventh-hour bill for a short extension, arguing it did not address their concerns about cuts to healthcare programmes
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has threatened to use the shut-down to carry out mass lay-offs
Both the Republicans and Democrats are laying the blame for the impasse at each other’s feet
A reminder of the source of the shutdown
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 in the Senate – and need 60 votes 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:
Ensuring subsidies for health insurance for low-income individuals do not expire
Reversing the Trump administration’s cuts to Medicaid
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.
