Trump Says He Will Use ‘Schumer Shutdown’ To Permanently Cut Programs
On Fox News this morning, President Donald Trump tore into Democratic lawmakers for keeping the government shut for 19 days and blamed them for the stalemate. He said that they have “Trump Derangement Syndrome.” The tone was blunt and unapologetic, aimed squarely at those who insist the shutdown is their leverage.
“We have a deal. We just want an extension. And the reason we want an extension is because you can’t make a deal with these people. They’re lunatics. They’re gone crazy. They’re crazed people. Trump derangement syndrome. There really is that disease. At first, I found it to be amusing. Now, I find there really is – they want $1.5 trillion for health care for illegal aliens. If we do that, it will jeopardize the health care of the citizens of our country. So we’re not going to do that.”
Trump argued the shutdown puts him in a position to reshape spending, warning opponents they misjudged how he would respond. He made clear the administration would use the pause to target programs he views as giveaways. The message was that a shutdown does not mean helplessness for the White House.
“They’re referring to me as a king. I’m not a king,” Trump said in an Fox interview. “They made one mistake. They didn’t realize that [the Schumer Shutdown] gives me the right to cut programs… giveaways, welfare programs, etc., and we’re doing that. We’re cutting them permanently.”
The administration announced it would pause $11 billion in projects as part of the shutdown response. That move was framed as a logical step to reassess spending priorities during an impasse. Officials described the pause as both punitive and practical.
This tally of halted work comes during the third-longest government shutdown since 1981, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, has refused to reopen the government at least 10 times since Oct. 1. Those are not abstract numbers for workers and families, they represent stalled paychecks and delayed services. Republicans say the refusal to negotiate forces them to act to protect taxpayers.
Federal employees remain without pay and millions of Americans face the ripple effects of a stalled government; 42 million people rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to eat and face uncertainty about benefits arriving next month. Rather than restore paychecks and benefits, Democratic leaders chose a political posture that opponents call grandstanding. Conservatives argue that putting policy first over people is the real scandal here.
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-LA, called on Democratic lawmakers to reopen the government. He framed reopening as the basic, responsible step before negotiations resume. The speaker emphasized that restoring services and pay should be the immediate priority.
Editor’s Note: The Schumer Shutdown is here. Rather than put the American people first, Chuck Schumer and the radical Democrats forced a government shutdown for healthcare for illegals. They own this.
