President Donald Trump has said he is preparing to consult his budget director Russ Vought on which federal agencies should be shut down permanently as the United States entered the second day of a government shutdown.
Writing on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said he would meet with Vought, a long-time ally and a key architect of Project 2025, to decide which agencies he described as “political scams” should be eliminated.
Trump suggested some closures could be permanent, signalling a more aggressive approach than previous shutdowns.
The remarks come as hundreds of thousands of federal employees face uncertainty. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that 750,000 workers could be furloughed.
While such dismissals have historically been temporary, Vought’s Office of Management and Budget has already circulated a memo asking departments to prepare for major job cuts.
On Wednesday Vought told House Republicans that mass firings could begin within days. He has also announced plans to withdraw billions in federal funding from Democratic-led states, including an $8 billion reduction in energy funding.
He confirmed that the administration is threatening to block financing for New York’s Gateway Tunnel project.
White House officials have defended the strategy as fiscally responsible and accused Democrats of causing the shutdown by refusing to support the Republican spending bill. Vice President JD Vance told reporters that Democrats had “shut down the government in the first place” by insisting on health insurance subsidies.
Trump has openly embraced the political confrontation, framing it as a chance to reshape the federal government.
“I cannot believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity,” he wrote. “Maybe this is their way of wanting to quietly and quickly make America great again.”
