2:22President Donald Trump is seen answering inquiries while childhood cancer survivors, alongside their families, gather in the Oval Office at the White House, Sept. 30, 2025, in Washington.Nathan Howard/Reuters
On Thursday, President Donald Trump explicitly menaced utilizing the government stoppage as a means to curtail federal allocations to states and cities overseen by Democratic leadership, a statement that clashes with Vice President JD Vance’s assertion the prior day that the White House would not be targeting Democrats.
Trump was scheduled to confer with Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought on Thursday concerning the proposed cutbacks and articulated in a social media communication and through recent dialogues that he is prioritizing "Democratic Agencies."
In his statement, the president made reference to Vought’s involvement as co-author of Project 2025, the contentious conservative agenda that delineated methodologies for the federal government to dissolve various federal organizations and transfer others into private control.
President Donald Trump answers questions while childhood cancer survivors and their families gather in the Oval Office at the White House, September 30, 2025 in Washington.Nathan Howard/Reuters
"I am scheduled to meet today with Russ Vought, renowned for PROJECT 2025, to ascertain which of the multitude of Democratic Agencies, a majority of which are considered a political FRAUD, he suggests should be reduced, and also to determine whether those reductions should be viewed as temporary or permanent," the president communicated via social media.
He labeled the cessation of government operations as an "unparalleled opportunity" to enact reductions, having previously stated that he could economize billions by eliminating "nonessential personnel."
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday could not supply additional particulars regarding the definition of "Democratic Agencies."
"We plan to assess entities that exhibit misalignment with the values of the administration, those which we regard as a misuse of taxpayer funds," she relayed to journalists, indicating that the prospect of substantial workforce dismissals remains "very tangible."
During a White House media briefing on Wednesday, Vance was queried by reporters about past utterances made by Trump that implied he would target Democrats during the shutdown. Vance rebuffed the assertion that the president was specifically identifying that party in his warning.
Vice President JD Vance speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Oct. 1, 2025, in Washington.Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
"We aren’t targeting federal entities contingent on political affiliations," Vance stated. "We are concentrating on the people’s government to the end that as many as possible of the essential services continue to be delivered."
Vance's remarks followed hours subsequent to Vought’s announcement that he intended to terminate millions in federal funding for New York and New Jersey infrastructure initiatives championed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York.
Judicial authorities, federal labor unions, and certain Democrats contended that the Constitution and existing federal statutes bestow solely on Congress the authority to decree reductions to federal bodies or to disband them in their entirety.
Speaker Mike Johnson, conversely, defended Trump’s actions, asserting that Democrats had presented Trump with “the keys to the kingdom” through their instigation of a shutdown.
The leading House Republican maintained that Trump and Vought are "certainly going to look and ensure that the administration’s priorities are funded first."
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (speaks to reporters outside of his office on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on October 1, 2025.Andrew Caballero-reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
"And so those stand as some very important judgments that require settlement. We desire to protect diligent federal workers, and these are the individuals who safeguard all of us," Johnson affirmed.
He, nonetheless, emphasized, without elaborate details, that Trump’s conceivable dismissals fell within the scope of his jurisdiction.
"Is it sanctioned by the Constitution? Is it lawful? Is it an element of our governance framework? Of course, it is. It has consistently been," Johnson asserted without offering greater specification.
The White House has remained reticent on furnishing more insights into the lawfulness of Trump’s threats, nor has it addressed queries regarding the mechanism by which discharging individuals who are presently unpaid would contribute to the minimization of wastage.
-ABC News’ Allison Pecorin, Karen Travers, and Isabella Murray assisted with the composition of this report.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com
