President Trump has granted his budget office unprecedented authority during the government shutdown, allowing it to selectively fund priorities like the military while slashing jobs and programs in health, education, and science, sparking criticism and legal challenges.
As the government shutdown enters its third week, President Donald Trump has empowered his Office of Management and Budget (OMB), led by Russ Vought, with unprecedented authority to determine which federal programs survive and which are cut, and who gets paid or fired. Vought, dubbed the 'grim reaper' by Trump and a key architect of the conservative Project 2025, is actively restructuring the federal workforce. The administration is prioritizing the military and mass deportation, even using leftover tariff revenues to save the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) food aid program. However, scores of other programs are being shuttered, leading to layoffs for workers in special education, after-school programs, and cybersecurity, with over 4,100 federal workers receiving notices. Trump openly stated that programs favored by Democrats are being targeted and may not return. These actions have drawn criticism as potentially illegal and are facing court challenges, while Congress remains deadlocked over reopening the government.
