The White House is bracing for escalation in the ongoing government shutdown. Economic adviser Kevin Hassett hinted Friday that President Donald Trump may take “sharp measures” as early as Monday if the Senate fails to break the deadlock keeping the federal government shuttered.
Appearing on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” Hassett placed the blame squarely on Democrats, warning that federal workers could face permanent job losses if the shutdown persists, wrote CNBC. “If not,” he said, “then I would guess that team in the Oval is going to start taking sharp measures.”
The administration has drawn a clear distinction between this standoff and those of years past—signaling that furloughs could give way to outright reduction-in-force orders, a bureaucratic euphemism for layoffs. The White House maintains that Democrats, not the president, will shoulder responsibility for any pink slips that follow.
Now entering its seventh day, the partial shutdown stems from failed negotiations over short-term funding. The Senate is preparing another round of votes Monday evening: a Republican proposal to keep the government open through November without policy add-ons, and a Democratic countermeasure that pairs temporary funding with health and social spending priorities.
So far, both sides have produced only stalemate. Yet Hassett struck a note of guarded optimism, suggesting that Trump will watch the proceedings from the Oval Office, “hoping that we’re going to get the government to stop being shut down.”
Behind the procedural maneuvers lies a broader power struggle—one stretching from Capitol Hill to the campaign trail—over fiscal priorities, health care, and the future scope of federal spending. With each failed vote, the president’s patience appears to narrow, and his options, by design, grow more dramatic.
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