'Brilliant game of chess': Trump's plans for government shutdown revealed by key allies

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) revealed President Donald Trump's plans for the government shutdown on Wednesday during a new episode of his podcast, "Verdict."

The federal government shut down on Wednesday after Republicans and Democrats failed to strike a deal on a bill to fund the government through the end of the year. Republicans have blamed Democrats for the shutdown, arguing that Democrats proposed giving "free healthcare" to immigrants. Democrats have said Republicans refused to negotiate their bill, which some Democrats have said is highly partisan.

Ben Ferguson, a GOP pundit who co-hosts the podcast with Cruz, said the government shutdown is a "brilliant chess move" that Trump planned long ago.

"This is the brilliant game of chess that was early on preemptive warning," Ferguson said. "This might be one of the best moves I've seen politically in a long time in DC."

Cruz revealed that Trump plans to use the shutdown to lay off federal workers. Some of Trump's earlier attempts to reduce the federal workforce were found to be illegal by federal courts.

"The White House has instructed every cabinet agency to prepare a plan for a RIF, a reduction in force, to give permanent layoffs, pink slips, to left-wing bureaucrats who are advancing the priorities of the Democrat party," Cruz said.

"So, what you are going to see in the next few days is bureaucrats at the EPA fired; you're going to see bureaucrats at the Department of Labor fired; you're going to see bureaucrats at the IRS fired," he added. "Within a couple of days, we're going to see Democrat senators...screaming at each other because this is frankly an excuse for the Trump administration to do what they wanted to anyway, which is get rid of left-wing bureaucrats."