House Speaker Mike Johnson insists that Trump holds the power—though he stopped short of explaining exactly how.
On Thursday, President Donald Trump openly threatened to wield the government shutdown as a weapon against Democratic-run states and cities—directly contradicting Vice President JD Vance, who just a day earlier insisted the White House wouldn’t be targeting Democrats.
Trump was slated to meet Thursday with Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought to discuss the planned cuts—and he made it clear in social media posts and recent interviews that his sights are set on so-called "Democratic Agencies."
In his post, the president pointed to Vought’s role in co-authoring Project 2025—the controversial conservative playbook detailing how the federal government could dismantle several agencies and privatize others.
"I have a meeting today with Russ 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," the president wrote on social media.
He described the shutdown as an "unprecedented opportunity" to slash spending, after previously claiming he could save billions by clearing out what he called "dead wood."
On Thursday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt declined to clarify what exactly qualifies as "Democratic Agencies."
"We're going to look at agencies that don't align, align with the administration's values that we feel are a waste of the taxpayer dollar," she told reporters, saying the threat of mass firings is "very real."
During a White House press briefing Wednesday, reporters pressed Vance on Trump’s past remarks suggesting he would target Democrats in the shutdown. Vance pushed back, denying that the president was singling out any party with his threat.
"We're not targeting federal agencies based on politics," Vance said. "We're targeting the people's government so that it as much if possible of the essential services get to continue to function."
Vance’s remarks came just hours after Vought revealed plans to cut millions in federal funding for New York and New Jersey infrastructure projects backed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Legal experts, federal unions, and some Democrats insist that only Congress—not the president—has the authority under the Constitution and federal law to slash funding or dismantle federal agencies.
Speaker Mike Johnson, however, defended Trump’s actions, claiming that Democrats had handed the president "the keys to the kingdom" by triggering the shutdown.
The top House Republican argued Trump and Vought are "going to look to see for the administration's priorities first, sure that those are funded."
"And so that's some those are some very serious determinations that have to be made. We want to protect hard working federal workers, and these are people who protect all the rest of us," Johnson said.
He insisted—without offering any specifics—that Trump’s possible firings were fully within his authority.
"Is it constitutional? Is it lawful? Is it part of our system? Of course it is. It always has been," Johnson said without giving more details.
The White House hasn’t clarified whether Trump’s threats are legal—or explained how letting go of unpaid workers would actually cut waste.
