President Trump’s Actions Towards the Upcoming Government Shutdown

September 30th, 2025
Harry Xu

In a few days, a government shutdown awaits the United States. If the government is unable to provide funding for federal departments by October 1, the agencies will shut down until money is appropriated. To stop what’s coming, at least seven Democratic Senators will need to join Republicans in passing a spending package in the Republican-controlled Senate. Unfortunately, it seems that the two parties are far from compromise.

Meeting with Top Democrat and Republican Leaders

Last Tuesday, President Trump cancelled a meeting with two top Democrat leaders: Hakeem Jeffries, the House Minority Leader, and Chuck Schumer, the Senate Minority Leader. On social media, Trump called their demands “unserious and ridiculous.” In response, Jeffries called him out, saying that he “always chickens out.” Despite his previous comments, on Saturday, Trump announced that a meeting is planned for Monday between Schumer, Jeffries, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and John Thune, the Senate Majority Leader.

Government Departments Face Mass Firings

When government agencies shut down, there are consequences. Previous shutdowns have resulted in students being unable to get tax documents for financial aid, reduced food stamp benefits and canceled immigration hearings.

As a shutdown looms, the Labor Department faces the possible task of a mass firings of employees. Additionally, national parks will be shut down, and thousands of employees will also lose their jobs. However, Trump has previously protected immigration raids in the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB), ensuring that they will continue to function if a shutdown occurs.

Under the plan outlined by Russell Vought, White House budget director and co-author of Project 2025, only agencies that received money under the OBBB would remain operating if no compromise is reached. In the OBBB, the main departments that received funding were the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense. This means that if the shutdown were to happen, the United States would drastically shift its focus towards immigration and the military.

Last week, the White House budget office sent a memo to numerous federal departments, urging them to prepare for mass firings. Government officials have stated that they had previously been uninformed regarding the White House’s plans; thus, this memo was a major escalation from the previous status quo.

Attitude towards Democrats

When asked about the government shutdown, Trump has consistently shifted the blame towards Democrats. Answering questions regarding the mass firings and the impacts of the shutdown, Trump has replied with statements such as “the Democrats are crazed” and the “radical left Democrats want to shut it down.”

This time, it’s the Democrats making demands in order to pass the funding bill. Specifically, they are advocating for an extension of subsidies under the Affordable Care Act and for reversing Medicaid funding cuts. However, Republican legislators assert that their demands are too costly and should not be negotiated under the threat of the shutdown.

The Future of the Government Shutdown

High pressure on the Monday meeting between Trump and the top Democrat and Republican leaders required action. There needs to be one side that caves in to the others’ demands, but the question is: who will it be, if anyone at all? The Republicans may or may not risk supporting a policy they do not support to keep the government running. And, will Democrats face a loss against the Republicans to ensure a government shutdown does not happen again? Sadly, Monday saw no compromise, as the meeting ended without a compromise for the impending deadline.

In the end, time is ticking. If a compromise is reached, it has to be done fast—as the future of government agencies and our country is on the line.

Extemp Question: Can the US government avoid shutdown before October 1st?