GOP Senators Warn Trump Against ‘Aggressive’ Shutdown Cuts

GOP Senators Warn ‘Aggressive’ Shutdown Cuts Will ‘Squander’ Party’s ‘Moral High Ground’

David Gilmour Oct 2nd, 2025, 9:26 am

(AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Republican senators warned President Donald Trump that an “aggressive” shutdown strategy will “squander” the party’s “moral high ground” in pushback against moves to impose cuts and mass firings.

Russ Vought , the director of the Office of Management and Budget, who threatened mass layoffs days before the shutdown was final, has already frozen $18 billion in infrastructure money for New York and $8 billion in clean-energy projects across 16 states, most of them Democratic strongholds.

Vought has the backing of Trump himself, who on Thursday demanded Republicans “clear out dead wood” from the federal government.

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