Karoline Leavitt confirms bloodbath ripping through federal agencies… as she reveals Trump to fire THOUSANDS: Live updates

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News that Donald Trump and his budget director, Russ Vought, are unleashing on federal agencies.

‘Look, we have $0 coming into the federal government right now because the Democrats shut it down, so Russ Vought is working diligently on examining how to fix this mess. 

She warned that if Democrats want to stop the bloodbath, they need to open the government.

‘It is very real. The Democrats should know they put the White House and the President in this position. If they don’t want further harm on their constituents back home, they need to reopen the government,’ she said.

‘We’re gonna start looking across the board at layoffs and agencies we feel don’t serve the American taxpayer.’

Speaking to reporters, Leavitt said the layoffs are ‘likely doing to be in the thousands.’

‘That’s something that the Office of Management and Budget and the entire team at the White House here again is unfortunately having to work on today.

‘These discussions and these conversations, these meetings would not be happening if the Democrats had voted to keep the government.’

A Washington Post poll released Thursday delivered brutal news for who the American people are holding responsible for shutting down the government.

California Rep. Ted Lieu claimed there will be a ‘blue tsunami in the midterms’ due to the White House’s budget cuts in response to the shutdown.

‘Many of the vulnerable Republican Congress Members are not in red states,’ he said.

‘The voters in these swing districts will know their Republican representative is afraid to oppose the illegal infrastructure cuts by the Trump Administration.

‘We will have a blue tsunami in the midterms.’

Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters that if the vote to end the government shutdown fails on Friday, it is unlikely they will vote again before Monday, reported Semafor’s Burgess Everett.

‘They’ll have a fourth chance tomorrow to open up the government. If that fails, we’ll give them the weekend to think about it. We’ll come back vote again Monday,’ Thune said.

Several monuments and tourist attractions in Washington, DC, are closed due to the government shutdown.

Hundreds of thousands of federal employees are expected to be furloughed during the government shutdown.

A furlough is an unpaid temporary leave of absence taken as a cost saving measure.

Now that a lapse in funding has occurred, the law requires agencies to furlough their ‘non-excepted’ employees.

Excepted employees, which include those who work to protect life and property, stay on the job but don’t get paid until after the shutdown ends.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said Democrats have given Donald Trump unchecked power over the federal government during the shutdown.

‘They have effectively turned off the legislative branch and handed it over to the president,’ he said.

The Daily Mail breaks down the federal government shutdown and its impact on Americans.

House Speaker Mike Johnson blasted CNN for cutting out of the Republican press conference on Thursday and saying some of his claims were untrue.

He said on X: ‘CNN is not a NEWS organization. They cut off the Republican press conference to CENSOR the truth from the American people and LIE about indisputable FACTS:

‘On page 57 of the Democrats’ OWN bill – they insist we restore $200 BILLION in health care subsidies for illegal aliens.

Johnson also shared a clip of the moment CNN cut out, which showed anchor Pamela Brown saying, ‘He’s trying to frame the shutdown as a democratic shutdown. He also falsely claimed that Democrats want to give health care, extend health care to illegal immigrants. That is not true. Illegal immigrants are not eligible for federal health care programs.’

Regulated exchange and prediction market site Kalshi is forecasting a 13-day long federal government shutdown.

The site found that there is a 89 percent chance of the shutdown lasting more than five days, a 62 percent chance it will go longer than 10 days and a 39 percent chance it goes over 15 days.

The next Senate vote isn’t expected until Friday, due to the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, so the government shutdown will at least stretch until the end of the work week.

Check out Kalshi’s government shutdown market HERE.

The MyTSA, which can be used to check airport security wait times, has a pop-up banner from the Transportation Security Administration confirming it ‘will not be actively managed’ during the government shutdown.

Industry experts have warned that the government shutdown will cause chaos across America’s airports.

Although air traffic controllers and TSA agents will continue to work, they will not be paid until the shutdown ends, according to the Transportation Department.

As of 11am ET on Thursday, 1,059 flights within, into, or out of the United States have been delayed, and 35 have been cancelled.

On day two of the government shutdown, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said ‘corrupt Republicans’ are to blame.

‘Donald Trump and corrupt Republicans recklessly shut down the federal government,’ he said on X.

‘And the American people know it.

‘Cancel the cuts. Lower the cost. Save Healthcare.’

House Republican Speaker Mike Johnson, flanked by House Republican conference chair Rep. Lisa McClain, U.S. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, and U.S. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, addressed members of the media Thursday morning to once again frame the Democrats as the party to blame for the government shutdown.

As news of imminent reductions in force across the federal government permeated from the Executive branch, Johnson noted that Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought ‘takes no pleasure’ in making the cuts.

‘Russ has to sit down and decide, because he’s in charge of that office, which policies, personnel, and which programs are essential, and which are not. That is not a fun task, and he is not enjoying that responsibility. And it could end today if the Senate Democrats would come to their senses and do the right thing for the American people,’ Johnson told reporters.

FBI investigators, CIA officers, air traffic controllers and agents operating airport checkpoints keep working. So do members of the Armed Forces.

Those programs that rely on mandatory spending generally continue during a shutdown. Social Security payments still go out. Seniors relying on Medicare coverage can still see their doctors and health care providers can be reimbursed.

Veteran health care also continues during a shutdown. Veterans Affairs medical centers and outpatient clinics will be open, and VA benefits will continue to be processed and delivered. Burials will continue at VA national cemeteries.

The Democrat party was roasted after hosting a shutdown livestream that only drew a few dozen viewers at a time – as Donald Trump continued to troll liberal leaders.

The stream, which lasted 11 hours, was created by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to broadcast the Democrats’ message about the perilous nature of the government stoppage – but it was largely ignored.

‘At times, just a few dozen viewers were watching the YouTube stream,’ Politico reported.

‘Later in the evening, Democrats said some 35,000 people tuned in to watch Jeffries. But on YouTube, Democrats peaked at around 1,000 viewers.”’

The Democrat’s YouTube stream was roundly beaten by the White House’s competing video which peaked at over 100,000

The sun rose on the nation’s capital on the second day of the government shutdown.

Government shutdowns occur when there is a lapse in federal funding because Congress fails to pass funding legislation.

Since 1981, there have been 10 shutdowns lasting three days or less, and four that have lasted 15 days or more.

The most recent shutdown started on December 21, 2018, under President Trump and lasted 35 days.

Speaker Mike Johnson struggled to defend President Donald Trump as a Democratic congresswoman berated him in a hallway on Capitol Hill.

‘The president is unhinged,’ Democratic Rep. Madeleine Dean tells Johnson. ‘He is unwell!’

The speaker responds with a tame reply, ‘A lot of folks on your side are too. I don’t control–’

The federal government shutdown has put a pause on high school sports games at US military bases abroad, Stars and Stripes reported.

All high school athletics events, including practices, in the Department of Defense Education Activity (DODEA) have stopped, according to the newspaper.

DODEA-Pacific officials said while the school is considered essential and remains open, extracurriculars are not.

DODEA-Europe spokeswoman Jessica Tackaberry said their programs are in the same situation.

‘We’re hoping for the most possibilities for our students. So, whatever we can do to make that happen is what we’re going to do,’ Tackaberry said.

Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters appeared to admit that her party was shutting down the government so that illegal migrants can have healthcare.

In a fiery interview, the lawmaker from California lashed out as she was grilled over why her party was intent on blocking a Republican funding bill, which sparked a federal collapse at 12.01am on Wednesday.

She was asked, ‘Are Democrats demanding healthcare for illegal aliens?’

Waters replied: ‘Democrats are demanding health care for everybody. We want to save lives. We want to make sure that health care is available to those who would die, but having the help of their government.’

House Speaker Mike Johnson told CBS Mornings that Republicans and Democrats are not currently engaged in negotiations.

‘There’s no negotiation right now because the Democrats have dug in,’ he said.

‘All we’re asking is that Senate Democrats do what they have always done in the past, every single time and allow the additional clock.

‘The president and Republicans in Congress do not want a government shutdown. We are bending over backward to prevent it because real people get hurt.’

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that the government shutdown will hurt the GDP and said he can ‘guarantee’ that Republicans will not meet Democrats demands.

‘This isn’t the way to have a discussion, shutting down the government and lowering the GDP,’ Bessent told CNBC.

‘We could see a hit to the GDP, a hit to growth and a hit to working America.’

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson told CBS Mornings that his ‘friend’ Rep. Hakeem Jeffries needs to ‘lighten up’ about the White House’s sombrero reel.

‘Hakeem is my friend, we have a great relationship of trust. He’s a great colleague. I think he has to lighten up when you show that you’re upset. I get attacked in memes every single hour of every day. I don’t react to it. That’s what people are trying to get out of you,’ he said.

Johnson claimed Trump is just ‘making a joke’ and said ‘they’re acting as if the issue of the day is a battle over memes on social media.’

‘We should not be talking about sombreros on the internet. We should be talking about the American people’s needs.’

Amid the ongoing fight over funding the government, Congress has failed to extend allowances for hospital-at-home programs for seniors, which provide them with the same kind of post-acute care they would receive in a hospital bed in their homes.

The recently expired spending bill had temporarily authorized hospital-at-home and telehealth programs for seniors 65 and older enrolled in Medicare.

These programs, including the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Acute Hospital Care at Home initiative, provide patients with regular virtual doctor visits, in-person nursing care, and remote monitoring technology for several days following an illness or surgery.

The Senate is not voting on a government funding bill on Thursday for Yom Kippur.

Lawmakers will return to Capitol Hill on Friday for voting.

It is unclear how long the government shutdown will last, but if legislation is not passed by Friday, it is expected that they will vote on Saturday.

Legislators will have Sunday off and then return for the week on Monday.

White House budget director Russell Vought announced several major budget cuts on the first day of the government shutdown.

On Wednesday he said that several massive NYC infrastructure projects have been placed on hold.

‘Roughly $18 billion in New York City infrastructure projects have been put on hold to ensure funding is not flowing based on unconstitutional DEI principles,’ he said on X.

Later adding, ‘Specifically, the Hudson Tunnel Project and the Second Ave Subway.’

The funding freeze targets the districts of Democrat lawmakers including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries who are leading the obstruction against Trump’s agenda.

Later in the day, he announced that there will be massive cuts to green energy projects.

‘Nearly $8 billion in Green New Scam funding to fuel the Left’s climate agenda is being cancelled,’ he said.

‘The projects are in the following states: CA, CO, CT, DE, HI, IL, MD, MA, MN, NH, NJ, NM, NY, OR, VT, WA.’

Pictured: Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought

Vice President JD Vance introduced a new technique to select reporters to ask questions at the White House press briefing on Wednesday.

When it came time to pick who should go first, Vance appeared somewhat overwhelmed by the packed room of reporters.

In the heat of the chaos, Vance turned to Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt for some guidance.

‘Karoline, I don’t know how you do this – how you actually choose people – because I don’t know 90 percent of the names in here. Is it just who’s the best dressed?

‘I really like your shirt. Go ahead,’ he said while pointing to a reporter.

In an interview with One America News set to air today, Donald Trump said Democrats are to blame for federal workers fired during the government shutdown.

‘Well, there could be firings and that’s their fault, and it could also be other things. I mean, we could cut projects that they wanted, favorite projects, and they’d be permanently cut,’ he said.

‘A lot of people are saying Trump wanted this closing — I wanted this — and I didn’t want.

‘But a lot of people are saying it because I’m allowed to cut things that should have never been approved in the first place, and I will probably do that.’

Donald Trump warned on Thursday morning that he could start cutting government agencies if the shutdown drags on and the Democrats don’t agree to a deal.

The president wrote on Truth Social.

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.

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! President DJT

Donald Trump dropped a scorched-earth message on Truth Social, tying the federal shutdown fight to immigration and healthcare funding.

The president’s post lands as House and Senate leaders haggle over a stopgap to reopen the government. Immigration riders and spending levels remain the sticking points.

‘THE DEMOCRATS WANT TO GIVE YOUR HEALTHCARE MONEY TO ILLEGAL ALIENS AND OPEN OUR BORDERS TO THE CRIMINALS OF THE WORLD, A DEADLY COMBINATION BECAUSE EVERYBODY WILL COME!’ Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Out-of-office email messages for furloughed employees at the Education Department were reset Wednesday with language blaming Democrats for the government shutdown, the Associated Press reported.

‘On September 19, 2025, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5371, a clean continuing resolution,’ the message said.

‘Unfortunately, Democrat Senators are blocking passage of H.R. 5371 in the Senate which has led to a lapse in appropriations.’

One anonymous employee claimed many of the workers tried to change it to something nonpartisan only to see it reverted back.

If a U.S. government shutdown goes on long enough, it could throw a wrench in travel plans, potentially leading to longer airport wait times, flight delays and even cancellations.

The shutdown began on Wednesday after President Donald Trump and Congress failed to reach a deal to continue funding government services and operations. That means a vast majority of employees who keep U.S. airports and air travel running are working without pay until the government reopens.

‘The longer a shutdown drags on, the more likely we are to see longer TSA lines, flight delays and cancellations, national parks in disrepair and unnecessary delays in modernizing travel infrastructure,’ Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, warned in a statement.

Travelers can still fly despite the lapse in funding, and early on in the shutdown, they might not even notice any issues at the airport.

Control towers and airport security checkpoints will still be staffed, with about 13,200 air traffic controllers and more than 61,000 Transportation Security Administration employees expected to remain on the job.

Aviation groups urged US political leaders to quickly resolve a budget impasse Wednesday, warning that the government shutdown strains air travel and delays key upgrades.

The closure has led to staff furloughs throughout the government, even as vital functions such as aviation safety proceed.

Some 13,300 US air traffic controllers and thousands of other essential safety officials must work without pay, according to a Department of Transportation (DOT) operational plan.