As the government shutdown drags on, Senate Majority Leader John Thune warns Democrats that the real risk may be the unchecked power of White House budget chief Russ Vought, whose aggressive plans could reshape the federal workforce. Thune, not exactly a fan of Vought's "slash-and-burn" approach, told reporters Wednesday that Democrats should have seen this coming, Politico reports. As for whether Vought's actions could also hurt Republicans by becoming a distraction, Thune said, "The only thing I would say about that is yes, and we don't control what he's going to do."
Other Republicans have voiced frustration over Vought's aggressive tactics. Rep. Mike Lawler criticized the freeze on major transportation projects in New York, while Reps. Blake Moore and Brian Babin raised concerns in a private GOP call about potential mass layoffs. The White House hasn't hidden its intent to ramp up political pressure on Democrats. Vought pre-empted the shutdown by telling agencies to draw up plans for reductions-in-force—that is, actual firings, not just the furloughs that shutdowns typically bring. CNN calls Vought President Trump's "shutdown architect," and argues that the coming "deconstruction" has been planned for years.
Some Democrats accuse Vought and Trump of simply using the shutdown to inflict pain they would have inflicted anyhow. Sen. Patty Murray called the tactics "ugly intimidation" and dismissed the idea that they would work. Vought was one of the architects of Project 2025, and as the AP reports, Trump has increasingly embraced the conservative blueprint despite attempting to distance himself from it during the presidential election. On Truth Social Thursday, Trump said he'd be meeting with Vought, "he of PROJECT 2025 Fame, to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent." Axios runs down the alignment between Project 2025 and Trump's presidential term here.
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