President Donald Trump threatened to close "Democrat programs" by Friday if the government shutdown continues, and he said it's unlikely that the closed program will return, according to a new report.
Politico reported on Tuesday that Trump plans to announce which programs he is cutting by Friday, but has thus far declined to elaborate on his plan. The threat comes at a time when Republicans and Democrats appear to be far apart on striking a deal to end the government shutdown.
“We’re closing up programs that are Democrat programs that we were opposed to,” Trump told the outlet. “And they’re never going to come back in many cases.”
Trump added that "Republican programs" would be spared.
“We’re not closing up Republican programs because we think they work,” he said. “We’re closing up Democrat programs that we disagree with. And they’re never going to open again.”
Trump has repeatedly threatened to ax government programs and terminate federal employees that he believes are aligned with Democrats.
In September, the Office of Management and Budget, which is run by Trump ally Russel Vought, said it was preparing to lay off thousands of Democratic federal workers.
Trump has also claimed that federal workers aligned with Democrats "don't deserve" to receive back pay once the government reopens.
