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GOP supports official Trump’s shutdown tactic against Democrats in Congress

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Senate Republicans are taking a hands-off approach to threats from White House budget chief Russ Vought, arguing that his pressure on Senate Democrats to reopen the government, for now, is justified.

Away from the gridlock at the Capitol, Vought, who is the director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), took steps to pressure Senate Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to reopen the government.

Before the shutdown began earlier this month, the OMB issued a memo to government agencies ordering mass layoffs beyond the usual furloughs of nonessential employees during government shutdowns. Since then, it has withheld nearly $30 billion in infrastructure funding for states and blue cities.

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And earlier this week, a memo circulated in the White House suggesting that furloughed employees would not receive back pay when the government reopens — a move that goes against a law signed by President Donald Trump in 2019.

“We heard earlier, early on in the shutdown, that we might see layoffs, layoffs within the department,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, told Fox News Digital. “We’ve seen a lot of big numbers thrown around, and they haven’t materialized, which I think is a good thing, but what this does, it’s certainly very troubling.”

The administration’s latest actions come as discussions about exiting the shutdown are underway. For now, Republicans do not believe Vought’s actions will harm these negotiations.

Russell Vought at the White House

Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, met with President Donald Trump on October 2, 2025, to discuss government budget cuts following the shutdown. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Senator John Hoeven. RD, told Fox News Digital that Vought is what Vought said is “probably helping to push Democrats to come to the table and reopen the government.”

“I mean, it’s up to him,” he said. “What I’m looking to do is try to talk to enough Democrats, and hopefully between reaching out to them and the pressure they’re getting from here, we can get the government to open up and get back to work on these things.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told Fox News Digital that the administration is “going to do what they’re going to do, and they have to manage this, and they’re going to manage it based on their priorities.”

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Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., Senate Republican leadership and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.

Senate Republicans are not ready to take a “nuclear” approach to the filibuster as the government shutdown continues, despite Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., pushing to change the nomination rules earlier this year. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

“I think they’re trying to be sensitive to discussions here that might be productive,” Thune said. “But, you know, right now, it’s like I said before, it’s all just kind of a facade until we fundamentally address the question of are we going to open up the government or not?

“And I think when all these problems go away, these guys, the things that the White House is talking about doing or hinting that they might do, will become irrelevant,” he continued.

Senate Democrats are demanding a deal extending expiring Obamacare subsidies, and won’t get the votes needed to reopen the government unless they get more than a guarantee to tackle the problem.

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Sen. Thom Tillis, Republican of North Carolina, is not seeking re-election in the 2026 midterm elections.

Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina announced in June that he would not seek a third term in the Senate when he is up for re-election in 2026. (Getty Images)

Thune and Senate Republicans are adamant they will only negotiate the expansion of tax credits, with built-in reforms, after the government reopens. And so far, as the impasse continues, neither Vought nor the administration have followed through on their threats of mass layoffs or back pay.

“So far, everything is good,” Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., told Fox News Digital. “If he starts taking drastic measures, then I think it creates a more difficult scenario for us. It also takes us further away from what he wants to accomplish.”

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Yet Senate Democrats did not appreciate his overtures.

Senator Gary Peters, Democrat of Michigan, told Fox News Digital that there was “no doubt” that Vought was harming ongoing talks between the parties.

“Russ Vought essentially acts as a bomb thrower, and bomb throwers are never helpful in negotiations,” he said.

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