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There’s a quiet, but very intense, behind the scenes debate about reopening the government going on among conservatives. The Trump administration, understandably, would like to get a spending bill passed so it can govern with all the tools provided by the Constitution. But a lot of conservatives at the grassroots are saying they like things just fine the way they are.
Meanwhile, Democrat Party leaders are caving to the Far Left radical wing of their party who want to keep the government shut down to stymie the Trump agenda and as leverage to get Republicans to increase spending by $1.5 trillion to include $200 billion in health benefits for illegal aliens and tens of millions of dollars for other liberal boondoggles like “climate resilience in Honduras,” “LGBTQI+” democracy grants in the Western Balkans, $2.9 million for desert locust risk reduction in the Horn of Africa and $2 million for organizing for “feminist democratic principles” in Africa.
This strange convergence of Right and Left has given the Trump administration another post-DOGE opportunity to shrink the size of the federal workforce through permanent reductions in force – a longtime priority of conservatives.
But at the cost of putting many other MAGA priorities on hold, and it has required the President to begin to take extraordinary measures to run routine government programs, such as meeting the military payroll.
To that end, President Trump yesterday announced that:
…as the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States under Article 2 of the United States Constitution, I direct the Secretary of War, in coordination with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, to use for the purpose of pay and allowances any funds appropriated by the Congress that remain available for expenditure in Fiscal Year 2026 to accomplish the scheduled disbursement of military pay and allowances for active duty military personnel, as well as for Reserve component military personnel who have performed active service during the relevant pay period. Funds used for military pay and allowances during the current lapse should be those that the Secretary of War determines are provided for purposes that have a reasonable, logical relationship to the pay and allowances of military personnel, consistent with applicable law…
President Trump has also directed that tariff revenues be used to pay for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC).
Democrats have claimed the moves are “illegal” but have admitted that it would be politically risky to fight the President’s actions to fund those two programs.
"It's almost certainly illegal to move money around," said Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.). Axios reported Himes said he expects litigation against Trump's moves — but that he doesn't "know who the plaintiffs will be" because "it is politically tricky."
While the Democrat leaders worry about the politics of reopening the government without a big win for the Far Left of their party, grassroots conservatives are getting more of what they tell us they voted for.
CBS News reported that Russ Vought, the head of the White House Office of Management and Budget, said that layoffs of federal workers could reach more than 10,000 as the shutdown continues.
Appearing on "The Charlie Kirk Show" from the White House, Vought said court filings that showed 4,000 people had already received layoff notices were "just a snapshot."
"I think it'll get much higher. And we're going to keep those RIFs rolling throughout the shutdown, because we think it's important to stay on offense for the American taxpayer and the American people," he said, referring to a reduction in force, the government's term for layoffs.
"We want to be very aggressive where we can be in shuttering the bureaucracy, not just the funding, but the bureaucracy … We now have an opportunity to do that, and that's where we're going to be looking for our opportunities," Vought said.
"It could grow higher. I think we'll probably end up being north of 10,000," he added later, referring to the number of federal workers who could lose their jobs permanently.
The President and his team have said they want to keep the pressure on Senate Democrats to end their filibuster and pass the House Continuing Resolution to reopen the government. We urge CHQ readers and friends to call their Senators and demand they vote for the CR, and stand firm against the Democrats’ budget-busting alternative. The Capitol Switchboard is (202-224-3121), please call today.
PS: Please go to https://conservativehq.com/ to take our poll on the government shutdown and its effect on you and your family.
George Rasley is editor of Richard Viguerie's ConservativeHQ.com and is a veteran of over 300 political campaigns. A member of American MENSA, he served on the staff of Vice President Dan Quayle, as Director of Policy and Communication for former Congressman Adam Putnam (FL-12) then Vice Chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee's Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs, and as spokesman for retired Rep. Mac Thornberry formerly a member of the House Intelligence Committee and Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.
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- Democrat favorability
- healthcare for illegal aliens
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- premium tax credits
- Affordable Care Act
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- Obamacare
- American Rescue Plan
- waste, fraud and abuse
- filibuster
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