SHUT DOWN AND OUT

Donald Trump is threatening mass firings of federal workers if Democrats won’t meet his shutdown demands. Those workers fear for their jobs — and their families.

• Behind the political theater of the shutdown fight, there are real issues for millions of people at stake. Democrats are refusing to fund the government if it means slashing healthcare assistance for millions of people. Republicans insist those healthcare funds must go. Neither side is showing signs of compromise, suggesting that the first government shutdown in six years could stretch out for days, weeks… or even longer.

• For federal employees, the fight itself could be extraordinarily punishing, no matter who wins. President Donald Trump is threatening to fire large numbers of them to pressure Democrats to bend to his will. Those firings could come in “a day or two,” White House budget director Russ Vought reportedly told Republican lawmakers today. What A Day spoke with seven current federal workers, who outlined their fears amid a chaotic and unprecedented shutdown.

• “I’m really worried about my job,” said one furloughed State Department employee. “My household and almost all of the households of the people I love most are entirely dependent on federal jobs, so there is a lot to lose here.”

• One furloughed Health and Human Services employee has had two children since the last shutdown. Fortunately, her husband (who is also a fed employee) wasn’t furloughed this time. “At least we will have one check coming in if this goes on for a while,” she said. “If it does, that’s going to be really hard on us. And there is the real fear that we didn’t have before that my job might just be eliminated to make some kind of fucked up political point.”

• For federal contractors, the situation is even more precarious. “Sad, anxious, frustrated,” said one Federal Aviation Administration contractor, describing her emotions. “We’re funded for about a month. If it goes longer, I’m completely screwed financially.”

Trump is taking the unprecedented step of using government websites and emails to broadcast his political message about this showdown — raising fears that it won’t end soon.

• Senior Trump officials have sent emails to employees across multiple agencies that blame Democrats for the shutdown, according to messages shared with What A Day. What’s more, the Department of Housing and Urban Development posted a bizarre message on its homepage, blasting the “Radical Left.” Several other government websites posted similar messages. Newsflash: The government isn’t supposed to use public agencies to push one party’s political talking points!

• “I’m very scared. Previous shutdowns have been a pain and frustrating, this one feels so uncertain,” one Social Security Administration worker said. “The political messages … are unprecedented, so it feels very volatile. Like, if you make any comment that is not pro-Trump they will make your life hell or just fire you.”

• The State Department employee put it bluntly: “This batshit messaging is so dystopian. It’s so insane, it’s almost funny. Trump and Republicans have done nothing but terrorize feds since January, they threatened to fire us during this shutdown, and yet they expect to convince us Dems are the problem? Lol wut??”

• While most federal workers I spoke with believe the shutdown will last awhile, all of them also support Democrats taking a stance against Republicans in this battle. At the National Parks Service, a supervisor described the situation as “a complete shit show,” according to an employee.

The HHS employee summed up many workers’ feelings: “It’s just so exhausting to feel like you’re constantly a pawn for the dumbest people in the dumbest timeline.”

Are you being affected by the shutdown in any way? Feel free to reach out to me on Signal at mattberg.33 or via email at [email protected].

WHAT ELSE?

Israeli forces ramped up their assault on Gaza City today, just days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to Donald Trump’s peace plan to end the war. (Israel’s reluctance to stop fighting has been a major hurdle for peace prospects.) Meanwhile, Hamas indicated that it’s open to Trump’s plan — but the group wants more time to review the details.

The Trump administration froze $18 billion for two major infrastructure projects in New York City, according to White House budget director Russ Vought. Why? To make sure money isn’t “flowing based on unconstitutional DEI principles,” he said, referring to diversity, equity and inclusion. So… these infrastructure projects aren’t, uh… white enough?

The U.S. lost 32,000 private-sector jobs in September, according to payroll processing company ADP. It’s the latest sign of a struggling Trump-era job market, and things could get worse if the president follows through on his threat to fire more government workers.

Forty-three percent of Americans say that the Supreme Court is too conservative, a new record, according to a new Gallup poll. Before Justice Amy Coney Barrett replaced Ruth Bader Ginsburg, that number never went above 33 percent. (Somehow, 17 percent of Americans think the current bench is too liberal… um, who are these people?!)

Hollywood’s major actors union condemned Tilly Norwood, an artificial intelligence “actress” who multiple talent agents are reportedly interested in signing. “Are you serious? That’s an AI? Good Lord, we’re screwed,” real-human actress Emily Blunt said in an interview with Variety. “That is really, really scary. Come on, agencies, don’t do that. Please stop. Please stop taking away our human connection.” Between this and Trump posting deepfake videos on social media, I’m not loving where things are going!

Light at the End of the Email…

The White House withdrew its nomination of E.J. Antoni, an unqualified and hyper-conservative economist, to take charge of the nation’s jobs statistics. It’s a stunning walkback by the Trump administration, after public complaints from conservative economists that this guy can’t be trusted to provide reliable data.

The Supreme Court ruled that Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook can remain in her job for now, despite Donald Trump’s attempt to fire her. The court will hear Trump’s case against Cook in January.

A federal judge ruled that Trump’s top federal prosecutor in Nevada was unlawfully appointed. The Department of Justice tried to keep the interim U.S. attorney, GOP activist Sigal Chattah in the role past the 120-day limit. Turns out, you have to follow the law sometimes, Donald!

The Caribbean countries of Barbados, Belize, Dominica and St Vincent and the Grenadines struck a historic agreement to allow workers to work and live in any of the countries without needing a work or residency permit. That’s awesome… Can you please extend that to include the United States now??? Asking for a friend!

How can you personally help fight climate change? A new project is helping people understand that their actions can make a difference, even when the president and oil companies make a bunch of mind-boggling decisions about the environment. Take the survey here!

It’s the best time of year: Fat Bear Week. “Suffering from a dangling tooth on a broken jaw, grizzled Fat Bear Week veteran 32 ‘Chunk’ handily defeated an extremely large 856 to become the 2025 champion,” the Washington Post writes. This is Chunk’s first title, after taking part in the competition every year since it began and coming in second last year. Congratulations, Mr. Chunk.