President Donald Trump has threatened mass layoffs and other “irreversible” consequences of the government shutdown — but some in Washington believe he could back away from those plans, according to a report.
Now, more than a week into the shutdown, these threats have not materialized, leading to a “growing belief” that this could be another example of “TACO” – or “Trump Always Chickens Out,” – the WashingtonPost reported.
When the Office of Management and Budget issued a memo directing agencies to consider force reductions if funding were to fall through, “it was clear to me that this was absolute bluster and BS,” said Virginia Democratic Rep. James Walkinshaw. WashingtonPost. “And by the way, the federal employees I represent saw it that way too.”
“We didn’t want the Democrats to shut down the government; the government wanted a clear and clean policy [continuing resolution] to keep the government open, the very same proposal that Democrats supported just six months ago and 13 times under the Biden administration,” a White House spokesperson said. The independent. “Unfortunately, Democrats have chosen to shut down the government because they believe that demanding free healthcare for illegal aliens is more important than paychecks and benefits for American taxpayers. Unfortunately, every funding shortfall caused by Democrats has consequences. Democrats can reopen the government at any time.”
There are still visible changes in the federal workforce. Non-essential services have been suspended. Most federal workers won’t be paid until the shutdown ends, while some who were furloughed may not receive back pay, the president threatened this week, in violation of a law he signed during his first term.
Meanwhile, Trump has used the shutdown to advance his own policy agenda threaten to cut ‘democratic agencies’,” canceling nearly $8 billion in subsidies for clean energy projects in states supporting Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, and freezing $18 million for infrastructure projects in New York City — home to both Democratic leaders.
In the days leading up to the shutdown, Trump warned, “We can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible, that are bad for them and irreversible by them, like cutting large numbers of people and cutting things they like, cutting programs they like.”
Previous government shutdowns have not led to mass layoffs. Yet on the first day of the shutdown, Vice President JD Vance warned that massive reductions may be necessary “to keep the American people’s essential services running.”
On Tuesday, Trump furthered these threats, telling reporters that jobs could be permanently cut. If the shutdown continues, the cuts will be “substantial.” He added: “And many of those jobs will never come back.”
The president has not yet followed through on these threats. Several government officials don’t think he will ever carry them out.
An employee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regards the possible dismissals as an empty threat. “This is stupid, even for them,” he told the newspaper WashingtonPost. “The bar is in the basement and they managed to dig a tunnel under it somehow.”
Similarly, a Department of Agriculture employee said she has become so accustomed to Trump’s threats against federal workers that she now considers the president’s layoff claims to be “background noise.” After reported.
Trump has backed away from several plans during his second term, giving rise to the “TACO” descriptor.
The acronym first appeared earlier this year in the context of tariffs. Some Wall Street traders used the term to describe the president’s pattern of making threats about trade policy that would likely cause the stock market to fall before inevitably walking back on that threat, leading to a recovery. For example, after the unveiling of his so-called “Liberation Day” rates in April, markets crashed. The following week he ordered a 90-day pause, sending the market soaring to record highs.
But Trump has backtracked on some positions that go beyond trade policy. The Department of Government Efficiency made deep cuts in the early days of the administration, only to be rehired later hundreds of them.
Even this week, Trump suggested he would negotiate with Democrats, who have demanded health care subsidies, to end the shutdown — but then walked back that, insisting they give in before any discussions take place. He wrote on Truth Social: “I’m happy to work with the Democrats on their failed healthcare policies, or anything else, but first they must allow our government to reopen.”
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