Kaitlan Collins Pushes Leavitt on Shutdown Layoffs: Isn’t That the ‘President’s Call?’

Jennifer Bowers Bahney Oct 6th, 2025, 1:52 pm

CNN’s Kaitlan Collins pushed White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt during Monday’s briefing over who is to blame if federal workers are laid off during the government shutdown.

“The president said yesterday that Democrats will be to blame if federal workers lose their jobs,” Collins began. “Historically, though in past shutdowns, workers have been furloughed, not laid off en masse. So, wouldn’t that be the president’s call to lay people off?

“As I’ve said repeatedly, Kaitlan, this conversation about layoffs would not be happening if the Democrats did not vote to shut the government down,” Leavitt said, continuing:

And as I also said last br

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