The Trump administration is escalating its shutdown threat to Democrats, making clear the ultimatum: accept their harsh austerity plan or watch as more funding and vital resources are stripped away from communities across the country.
On Thursday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt faced questions about Trump’s vow to work with Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought—an architect of Project 2025—to eliminate what they label as “Democrat Agencies” in the federal government. A Fox News host bluntly asked her, “Is that real? Or is that a negotiating tactic?”
“Oh it’s very real. And the Democrats should know that they put the White House and the president in this position,” Leavitt responded. “And if they don’t want further harm on their constituents back home, then they need to reopen the government. It’s very simple: Pass the clean continuing resolution, and all of this goes away.”
The message could not be clearer—it reads less like negotiation and more like extortion. Already, the Trump administration has frozen $18 billion in infrastructure projects in New Jersey and New York, while also slashing $8 billion in energy funding spread across 16 Democratic-led states. Where this cycle of punishment ends remains uncertain, but the intent is evident: Trump’s team appears almost eager to inflict harm on Americans simply to bend Democratic lawmakers into submission.
Leavitt: "Democrats should know that they put the White House and the president in this position. And if they don't want further harm on their constituents back home, then they need to reopen the government. It's very simple." pic.twitter.com/OMIIL9IY2z
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 2, 2025
