(Washington) Infrastructure projects frozen in democratic states, “imminent” dismissals of civil servants, and now the envisaged abolition of federal agencies: Donald Trump is trying on Thursday to intensify the pressure on democratic opposition, on the second day of an apparent -free budgetary blockage.
The American president said in a morning message on his social social platform that he would meet his director of the budget at the White House, Russ Vought, “to determine which Democrats agencies, many of which are a political scam, he recommends eliminating, and if these closures must be temporary or permanent”.
“I cannot believe that the left-wing extremist democrats have given me this unprecedented opportunity,” he added in reference to the budget blocking at the Congress, which plunged the United States Wednesday in a situation of “Shutdown”, with the end of part of the federal administrations.
Screenshot from social truth
Several hundred thousand civil servants, with functions considered to be “non-session”, have been put in technical unemployment and disturbances are expected for public services users.
The Association of American Air Controllers (NATCA) said in a statement feared for the safety of airspace due to the technology unemployment of more than 2,300 of its members.
“A blow on growth”
Donald Trump’s secretary to the Treasury Treasury, Scott Bessent, estimated on the CNBC channel on Thursday that budgetary paralysis was going to “bring a blow to GDP, a blow to growth, and a blow to America that works”.
The “Shutdowns”, an unprecedented situation for seven years, are very unpopular in the United States and each camp rejects its fault.
Democrats “have taken the American people hostage in a way that, according to them, benefits them politically,” assured the head of the Republican majority in the Senate, John Thune.
The head of democrats in the House, Hakeem Jeffries, argued that the president was showing “irresponsible and not serious behavior”.
Photo Jonathan Ernst, Reuters archives
The chief of the Democrats in the House, Hakeem Jeffries
In fact, Donald Trump does not hide his intention to charge the Democrats for this situation.
“Many good things can come out of” Shutdowns “, we can get rid of many things we don’t want, and they would be democratic things,” he warned on Tuesday.
The next day, the White House spokesperson spoke of “imminent” dismissals of civil servants if the blocking persisted.
The government has also announced the abolition of $ 26 billion in federal funds promised to states led by Democrats. In New York, Bastion Democrat represented by Tenors Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, the Trump administration has decided to freeze $ 18 billion for two public transportation projects.
Three Democrats
Beyond the threats, the presidential majority hopes that a sufficient number of Democratic senators will eventually yield and vote in favor of the proposed republican text.
Because if the Republicans have the majority to the two chambers of Congress, the Senate regulation means that they will need at least eight democrats in order to reach the necessary threshold of 60 votes for the adoption of a budget.
For the time being, the elected officials of the opposition do not seem to want to move. During the last votes, only three Democrats joined their voice to those of the majority.
And Hakeem Jeffries explained on Wednesday that layoffs, targeted cuts, “this is what the Trump administration has been doing since January 20”, the date of return to power of the republican billionaire.
In the current state of negotiations, the Republicans offer a simple extension of the current budget until the end of November, when Democrats require the extension of public health insurance programs for the most deprived, denouncing clear cuts in health expenses decided by the Trump administration.
The situation will not be resolved before Friday at the earliest, no vote being expected Thursday at the Congress due to the Jewish party of Yom Kippour.
