Nine failures! The Senate is caught in a political quagmire, and the government shutdown has undermined the dollar's hegemony.
2025-10-16 14:41:16
President Trump and White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought carried out threats to lay off thousands of federal employees during the government shutdown.
The government shutdown is now in its third week, with no end in sight as House Speaker Mike Johnson warned it could become the "longest shutdown in American history."

Trump: We're getting the money to the people we want to give it to
U.S. President Donald Trump and FBI Director Kash Patel were asked about the payment of FBI members during the government shutdown, with the president reiterating his stance on withholding funds for what he called "Democratic agencies and programs."
"We've got the people we want to pay, get it, the FBI gets paid, the military gets paid. We've got the people who deserve to get paid," he said.
"The Democrats, they don't talk about it. We're eliminating programs that we didn't like, that were negotiated for. And we are, we're ending them, and we're ending them permanently."
The president cited cuts to the Gateway program made by Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought.
Judge blocks Trump administration from firing employees during shutdown
U.S. District Judge Susan Illston issued an emergency order Wednesday blocking the Trump administration's planned mass layoffs, according to a statement from the union representing thousands of federal employees.
The Associated Press reported that Illston said the government acted without careful consideration.
“Most of these projects were launched hastily, figuring things out as they went along, and that exacted a human cost. And that cost is intolerable,” she said.
Several unions, including the American Federation of Government Employees, filed a lawsuit against the government, seeking a temporary injunction, claiming the dismissals were illegal.
"This ruling confirms that threats of mass layoffs can be illegal and prevents layoff notices from being issued," AFSCME President Lee Sanders said in a statement.
Sanders added: "Federal workers have already endured too much uncertainty as this administration waged a relentless assault on the essential jobs that keep us safe and healthy. They deserve respect for their work — not to be treated as expendable and used as political pawns by billionaires in the administration."
Senate fails to advance government funding bill for ninth time
The Senate again failed on Wednesday, by a vote of 51 to 44, to pass a government funding bill that would have kept the government open until November 21. The 60 votes required to advance the bill are needed.
This is the ninth time the bill has failed to advance. There has been no measurable sign of progress.
Consistent with previous votes, Senator Rand Paul was the only Republican to oppose the bill. Democratic Senators Catherine Cortez Masto and John Fetterman, as well as independent Angus King (who caucused with the Democrats), remained in their positions, becoming the only three members of their respective factions to switch sides.
Vought says White House will lay off more than 10,000 employees throughout shutdown
Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought said in an interview on "The Charlie Kirk Show" on Wednesday that he expects "over 10,000" federal workers to be laid off during the government shutdown.
“We’re talking about literally thousands of people,” Voigt said, referring to court documents filed by the Office of Management and Budget in a lawsuit brought by labor unions against the Trump administration over budget cuts. “A lot of the reporting is based on their interpretation of the court briefs.”
"But this is just the tip of the iceberg, and I think the numbers are going to go up significantly," Vought added. "We will continue to advance these streamlining initiatives throughout the shutdown because we firmly believe we must remain on the offensive for the American taxpayer and the American people."
Asked which agencies and programs could be or have been cut during the shutdown, Vought said: "Green New Deal programs at the Department of Energy, the Minority Business Development Agency at the Commerce Department, which distributes business grants based on race." He added: "Environmental justice programs at the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency."
Lawmakers urge government to clarify federal employees will receive back pay
A group of mostly Democratic lawmakers wrote to White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought, demanding immediate and clear confirmation that federal employees will receive back pay after the shutdown ends.
Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski was one of the main sponsors, but she was the only Republican to sign the bicameral letter signed by more than 100 Democratic lawmakers.
Lawmakers praised President Trump for signing legislation guaranteeing back pay for federal employees, saying the law needs to be enforced.
"The law is clear: all affected government employees, whether exempt or furloughed, are entitled to back pay after the shutdown ends, consistent with current guidance from federal agencies such as the Office of Personnel Management," the letter reads.
The continuation and deepening of the U.S. government shutdown, and the ensuing political uncertainty, potential economic damage, and policy confusion, have exerted significant bearish pressure on the U.S. dollar .
Unless there are clear signs of a break in the deadlock, the ongoing political crisis will be one of the key drivers of continued dollar weakness in the coming weeks. Any rebound in the dollar is likely to be temporary as the structural headwinds it faces continue to intensify.
At 14:40 Beijing time, the US dollar index was at 98.58.
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