It has been approximately three weeks since Senate Democrats shut down the federal government instead of passing a continuing resolution which would have kept it running until November 21.

However, President Donald Trump recently made clear that he is using the shutdown as an opportunity to eliminate public programs.  

Trump says his administration is "permanently" cutting programs

According to Fox News, Trump conveyed that message this past weekend during an interview with "Sunday Morning Futures" host Maria Bartiromo.

"The Democrats are kamikazes right now. They're kamikaze pilots right now. They have nothing going. They have no future," Trump told Bartiromo.

"They didn't realize that that gives me the right to cut programs that Republicans never wanted — you know, giveaways, welfare programs. And we’re doing that. We’re cutting them permanently," the president declared.

Russell Vought serves as Office of Management and Budget (OMB) director, and he touted the White House's plans for layoffs during an appearance on "The Charlie Kirk Show" this past Wednesday.

OMB director predicts that "thousands" of bureaucrats will be terminated

"We’re definitely talking thousands of people," Fox News quoted Vought as saying. "Much of the reporting has been based on kind of court snapshots which they have articulated as in the 4,000 number of people."

"But that’s just a snapshot, and I think it’ll get much higher. And we’re going to keep those [reductions in force] rolling throughout the shutdown. We think it's important to stay on offense for the American taxpayer," he insisted.

"We want to be very aggressive where we can be in shuttering the bureaucracy — not just the funding, but the bureaucracy — that we now have an opportunity to do that. And that’s where we’re going to be looking for our opportunities," Vought stressed.

The OMB director's comments came despite a ruling from U.S. District Judge Susan Illston which blocked further federal layoffs.

Office of Population Affairs shut down after staff laid off

Meanwhile, the New York Times reported earlier this month that the Department of Heath and Human Service's (HHS) Office of Population Affairs (OPA) was all but shut down after most of its staff were laid off.

Amazing news!

The Trump administration has shut down the Office of Population Affairs — the agency heavily responsible for funding Planned Parenthood and pushing sexually deviant propaganda to kids.

Great win for our children.

— Lila Rose (@LilaGraceRose) October 13, 2025

That move was welcomed by pro-life activist Lila Rose, who accused the OPA of "heavily responsible for funding Planned Parenthood and pushing sexually deviant propaganda to kids."

Breitbart recalled that during President Joe Biden's time in office, the OPA was used to promote "puberty-blockers, cross-sex hormones, and even surgeries for sex-questioning youth."