Judge Temporarily Blocks Trump Layoffs During Shutdown

6 HOURS AGO·UPDATED 6 HOURS AGO

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Above: President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office on Oct. 15, 2025. Image copyright: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images

The Spin

Democratic narrative

Trump's illegal firing of thousands of federal workers during the shutdown represents unprecedented abuse of power. No president in 93 years has ever used a government shutdown as cover to eliminate dedicated public servants who show up daily to serve Americans. This lawless targeting of federal employees straight from Project 2025's playbook threatens everyone and must be stopped.

Afge The Contrarian

Republican narrative

Democrats are causing this shutdown by rejecting clean funding bills eight times. Trump's reduction-in-force actions target unfunded programs that don't align with his mandate for smaller government and fiscal responsibility. A Clinton-appointed activist judge has no authority to block the president's lawful efforts to streamline bloated federal bureaucracy.

Daily Caller Eric Daugherty