Month: September 2025

The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has instructed federal agencies to draw up plans for potential layoffs in case Congress fails to pass a spending bill by Tuesday, raising the stakes in the latest government funding standoff.

The memo from the Office of Management and Budget, first reported by Politico , points to job losses for certain federal employees if the government shuts down next week.  It advises agencies to prepare “reduction-in-force” notices — the official term for federal layoffs — for employees working in programs or projects that lose funding on October 1 or lack alternative financing. It also specifies that workers tied to initiatives not aligned with the president’s priorities should receive such notices. Traditionally, government shutdowns have resulted in temporary furloughs for non-essential staff, while employees in critical roles are asked to work without pay until funding resumes. Permanent layoffs are far less common.

According to the memo, these layoffs would come on top of furlough orders, which require federal employees to stay home without pay during a shutdown. The memo states: “programs that did not benefit from an infusion of mandatory appropriations will bear the brunt of a shutdown, and we must continue our planning efforts in the event Democrats decide to shut down the government.”

An OMB official clarified that several essential programs and services would not be affected, including Social Security, Medicare, veterans’ benefits, military operations, law enforcement, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, and air traffic control. These areas are funded by law and would not be subject to layoffs.

The memo closed with: “we remain hopeful that Democrats in Congress will not trigger a shutdown and the steps outlined above will not be necessary. The President supports enactment of a clean CR to ensure no discretionary spending lapse after September 30, 2025, and OMB hopes the Democrats will agree.”

Bobby Kogan, who previously worked at OMB under the Biden administration, condemned the move as reckless and said the mass firings would be “an action of enormous self-harm inflicted on the nation, needlessly ridding the country of talent and expertise. It’s also extortive. ‘Give us what we want in a funding fight, or we’ll hurt the country’”

Democrats on Capitol Hill also pushed back, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York calling the memo “an attempt at intimidation.” Schumer wrote: “Donald Trump has been firing federal workers since day one — not to govern, but to scare. This is nothing new and has nothing to do with funding the government,” predicting that any laid-off workers will be hired back.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, also a New York Democrat, echoed that sentiment on X, writing: “We will not be intimidated by your threat to engage in mass firings. Get lost.”‘

The government’s fiscal year ends on September 30, leaving just days for lawmakers to reach an agreement before a shutdown begins Wednesday. A short-term spending bill passed by House Republicans has stalled in the Senate, where it fell short of the 60 votes required to advance. With 53 Senate seats, Republicans will need support from at least seven Democrats to break the impasse. Democrats, however, are pressing for concessions, including reversing recent Medicaid cuts and extending health insurance tax credits, before they agree to a deal.

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Two detainees are dead, and a third is in critical condition after a sniper opened fire on the Dallas Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office on Wednesday morning.  Dallas police said in a news conference that no ICE officers were hurt in the shooting, and the victims’ identities will not be released at this time.

The shooting occurred at about 7 a.m. CDT near Dallas Love Field airport, according to local Dallas affiliate WFAA-TV, while detainees were in the process of boarding or getting off a bus.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted on X that “there were multiple injuries and fatalities,” adding that the shooter was found dead with a self-inflicted gun wound.

The DHS said in a statement that the shooter has been identified as 29-year-old Joshua Jahn, who was on a nearby rooftop and “fired indiscriminately at the ICE building, including at a van in the sallyport where the victims were shot.” The FBI adding that the shooting is being investigated “as an act of targeted violence.” The motive behind the shooting, or what the shooter was targeting, is not immediately clear.

A report from The New York Times stated that rounds found near the shooter were marked with messages that are “anti-ICE in nature,” according to Special Agent in Charge of the Dallas FBI Joe Rothrock.

In a social media post on X., Vice President JD Vance called the shooting at a Dallas ICE facility this morning an “obsessive attack on law enforcement” that “must stop. I’m praying for everyone hurt in this attack and for their families.”

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem echoed Vance’s statement, posting on X that “while we don’t know motive yet, we know that our ICE law enforcement is facing unprecedented violence against them. It must stop. Please pray for the victims and their families.”

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A federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration and fficials from the Department of Justice may have breached both a criminal procedure rule and an existing court order by issuing public statements that could unfairly prejudice the case against Luigi Mangione, the 27-year-old charged in connection with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024.

In a filing on Wednesday, U.S. District Court Judge Margaret Garnett ordered the Justice Department to respond to a letter Mangione’s lawyers sent on Tuesday which accused the Trump administration of violating their client’s right to a fair trial in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination. In the order, she wrote that multiple DOJ staff members appeared to have disregarded a New York rule that bars attorneys from making public remarks likely to bias a criminal proceeding. Mangione’s lawyers referred to several comments administration officials made about Mangione in the days after Kirk’s killing, including by the president.

Mangione’s defense attorney Karen Agnifilo wrote in her letter: “The Government has indelibly prejudiced Mr. Mangione by baselessly linking him to unrelated violent events, and left-wing extremist groups, despite there being no connection or affiliation. A recent, tragic, high-profile murder has only increased this prejudicial rhetoric. The attempts to connect Mr. Mangione with these incidents and paint him as a ‘left wing’ violent extremist are false, prejudicial, and part of a greater political narrative that has no place in any criminal case, especially one where the death penalty is at stake. Mr. Mangione in fact does not support these violent actions, does not condone past or future political violence, nor is he in any way aligned with the group mentioned in the White House press release.”

Mangione’s team presented evidence of statements by DOJ personnel and White House officials that the lawyers argued had tainted their client’s ability to receive a fair trial by tying him to unrelated acts of political violence, including Ryan Routh’s attempt to assassinate former President Donald Trump and the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

In response, Judge Margaret Garnett wrote in her decision that “it appears from this letter that multiple employees at the Department of Justice may have violated Local Criminal Rule 23.1, and this Court’s order of April 25, 2025 specifically identifying the strictures of this rule for counsel and directing the prosecution team to ensure that the highest levels of the Department of Justice, up to and including Attorney General Bondi, were aware of and understood they were bound by this Rule,” and clarified that the rule in question provides prosecutors or their employees “not to release or authorize the release of … opinion that a reasonable person would expect to be disseminated by means of public communication, in connection with pending … criminal litigation with which they are associated, if there is a substantial likelihood that the the dissemination will interfere with a fair trial or otherwise prejudice the true administration of justice.”

Judge Garnett has given prosecutors until October 3 to explain how these apparent violations occurred and what measures they plan to take to prevent further incidents. She also warned the deputy attorney general that additional breaches could lead to sanctions, including financial penalties or contempt of court findings.

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President Donald Trump has called off a planned sit-down with Democratic leaders that was aimed at preventing a looming government shutdown.

The White House had been preparing for Trump to meet later this week with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., as the Sept. 30 deadline to fund the government approaches. That meeting was tentatively set for Thursday.

On Tuesday, however, Trump announced on Truth Social that he would not go forward with the talks. He blasted Democrats’ proposals, dismissing them as “Radical Left Policies that nobody voted for– High Taxes, Open Borders, No Consequences for Violent Criminals, Men in Women’s Sports, Taxpayer funded ‘TRANSGENDER’ surgery, and much more.”

Earlier in the day, Schumer and Jeffries had signaled their intent to use the discussion to press Trump on cost-of-living concerns and what they described as a “Republican healthcare crisis.” In a joint statement, they argued it was long past time to negotiate in good faith to prevent what they called a “Republican-caused shutdown.”

The two parties remain divided over how to keep the government running. According to Politico, Republicans favor a ‘clean’ seven-week stopgap bill with no add-ons, while Democrats have proposed a shorter four-week extension tied to additional policy measures.

Jeffries responded to Trump’s cancellation on X, accusing him of backing down and saying “Trump Always Chickens Out,” using the acronym TACO (which he coined). Jeffries said “extremists want to shut down the government because they are unwilling to address the Republican healthcare crisis that is devastating America.”

Healthcare remains the central sticking point. Democrats want any funding package to include an extension of enhanced tax credits under the Affordable Care Act, which are set to lapse at the end of the year. Schumer, posting separately on X, noted the Jewish New Year and urged Trump to set aside his attacks. “Happy New Year, Mr. President. When you’re done with the rants, we can sit down and discuss healthcare.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., went on to tell reporters he would insist on being present if any meeting were to happen: “If there’s a meeting, I’ll absolutely be there,” Johnson said. “But I’m not convinced a meeting is necessary at this point.”

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President Donald Trump delivered a combative address to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday morning, marking the 80th anniversary of the world body.

During Trumps’ roughly hour-long speech, he sharply criticized the world body and promote what he described as his administration’s accomplishments.

He opened by contrasting the state of the nation a year earlier with what he called a much stronger United States nows. Trump said at the top of his remarks: “One year ago, our country was in deep trouble. But today, just eight months into my administration, we’re the hottest country anywhere in the world, and there is no other country even close.” From there, the President pivoted to criticism of his predecessor and then broadened his attacks to foreign leaders and international institutions, touching on migration, the war in Ukraine and other flashpoints.

A large portion of Trump’s remarks targeted the U.N., and argued the organization has failed to live up to its promise, accusing it of producing stirring statements that go nowhere and doing little to stop conflict. He suggested that rhetoric alone cannot end wars and insisted that concrete action is required. Trump asked: “What is the purpose of the United Nations? It has such tremendous, tremendous potential. But it’s not even coming close to living up to that potential. For the most part, at least for now, all they seem to do is write a really strongly-worded letter and then never follow that letter up. It’s empty words and empty words don’t solve war. The only thing that solves war and wars is action.”

Trump also framed himself as a dealmaker and peace-builder, saying that critics and observers ought to recognize the diplomatic achievements his administration claims to have secured. Trump said: “Everyone says that I should get the Nobel Peace Prize for each one of these achievements. But for me, the real prize will be the sons and daughters who lived to grow up with their mothers and fathers because millions of people are no longer being killed in endless and inglorious wars.”

Turning to Russia, he warned that the United States could impose a “very strong round of powerful tariffs” if Moscow refused to negotiate an end to the fighting in Ukraine. He urged other nations to reduce their purchases of Russian oil and energy, saying that “otherwise we’re all wasting a lot of time. Europe has to step it up. They can’t be doing what they’re doing. They’re buying oil and gas from Russia while they’re fighting Russia. It’s embarrassing to them.” Trump singled out China and India for buying Russian oil, portraying those purchases as enabling the conflict.

On the topic of immigration, Trump told world leaders they should follow the U.S. example, faulting the U.N. for failing to address what he called a global crisis of uncontrolled migration he feels is damaging countries’ social and economic fabric: “Not only is the U.N. not solving the problems it should, too often it’s actually creating new problems for us to solve,” Trump said. “The best example is the No. 1 political issue of our time, the crisis of uncontrolled migration. It’s uncontrolled. Your countries are being ruined.”

He also attacked international efforts to confront climate change, and defending his decision to pull the United States out of the Paris Agreement — a move he argued other governments should reconsider if they want to avoid economic harm.

Addressing the war between Israel and Hamas, Trump urged the international community to unite behind a demand for the immediate release of hostages in Gaza, though he offered no concrete negotiation plan or path to move forward. He reiterated opposition to unilateral moves by U.N. members to recognize a Palestinian state, saying such actions would reward Hamas and potentially prolong violence: “Now, as if to encourage continued conflict, some of this body is seeking to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state. The rewards would be too great for Hamas terrorists for their atrocities.” Trump instead called for a united message from the body for Hamas to release hostages: “Those who want peace should be united with one message: release the hostages now. Just release the hostages now. Thank you.”

To close, Trump highlighted recent U.S. military actions targeting alleged narcotics networks tied to Venezuela’s government, describing them as an unprecedented use of force against criminal enterprises. He issued a stark warning to those trafficking deadly drugs into the United States, saying the administration intends to dismantle those networks decisively: “We’ve recently begun using the supreme power of the United States military to destroy Venezuela terrorists and trafficking networks led by Nicolas Maduro to every terrorist thug smuggling poisonous drugs into the United States of America. To every terrorist thug smuggling poisonous drugs into the United States of America. Please be warned that we will blow you out of existence. That’s what we’re doing.”

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