Donald Trump is threatening MASS FIRINGS if Congress doesn’t approve a budget by Sept. 30, 11:59 PM, which would trigger a partial government shutdown. The U.S. has faced 87 days of shutdowns historically (35 days during Trump’s first term), so this situation isn’t unprecedented — but Trump’s second term has been marked by unpredictable orders often overturned by courts, so outcomes are unclear.
Democrats pushed back: Schumer called it an intimidation tactic that will likely be overturned; Bobby Kogan said it would needlessly cripple government expertise and amounts to extortion; Hakeem Jeffries said they won’t be intimidated.