US Heads Towards Government Shutdown

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President Donald Trump threatened mass firings of federal workers as the US hurtles toward a shutdown with Democrats and Republicans at an impasse over funding the government.

“We may do a lot and that’s only because of the Democrats,” Trump said in response to a question about the number of government employees who could be dismissed during a shutdown. The White House last week directed agencies to draw up plans for widespread firings if the government closed down. So far, no agencies have explicitly called for terminations in their shutdown plans.

With just hours to go until a midnight deadline, the deadlock over spending threatens to paralyze many US government operations for the first time in nearly seven years, causing the suspension of services for Americans and paychecks for federal workers. As many as 750,000 federal workers could be temporarily furloughed, even if Trump doesn’t proceed with permanent dismissals, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated.

Bloomberg Washington Correspondents Joe Mathieu and Kailey Leinz deliver insight and analysis on the latest headlines from the White House and Capitol Hill, including conversations with influential lawmakers and key figures in politics and policy. On this edition, Bloomberg's Tyler Kendall is in for Kailey. Joe and Tyler speak with: • Republican Congressman Mike Lawler of New York. • Bloomberg Washington Deputy Bureau Chief Laura Davison. • Stonecourt Capital Partner Rick Davis and Harvard Kennedy School's Ash Center Visiting Democracy Fellow Jeanne Sheehan Zaino. • Democratic Congresswoman Suzan DelBene of Washington. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.