The Trump administration is looking for ways to pay federal law enforcement officers and fund a key supplemental nutrition program during the government shutdown, a sign the executive branch doesn’t see this impasse ending soon. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB), run by Russell Vought, is looking to use tariff revenues to fund the Women, Infant and Children, or WIC, food program, and is trying to figure out how to pay law enforcement officers who are on duty without pay.
“OMB is making every preparation to batten down the hatches and ride out the Democrats’ intransigence,” an OMB official told Punchbowl News. “Pay the troops, pay law enforcement, continue the RIFs, and wait.”
RIF, which stands for “reduction in force,” is the government term for layoffs.
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Payments for the troops and food programs
The news came after President Donald Trump announced that he instructed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to use leftover funds to make sure troops don’t miss a paycheck. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., informed reporters that the money would come out of research and development accounts.
WIC, which supports more than 6 million low-income Americans, received $300 million of leftover tariff revenue from last fiscal year.
Democrats support keeping WIC afloat.
“In previous shutdowns, funding has always been identified to make sure that the Women, Infants and Children program has been funded, and we expect that that should happen during this moment in time as well,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., told reporters Tuesday.
That’s about the extent of the agreement between Republicans and Democrats. They are no closer to reopening the government on day 14 of the shutdown than they were on day one.
That can be seen in the harsh criticisms the two parties hurl at each other publicly.
“I was 9 years old in the third grade when Chuck Schumer got here. He is the broken status quo,” Johnson told reporters Tuesday.
“For the Republicans, cruelty is the point,” Jeffries said.
Johnson has said, “we’re barreling toward” one of the longest shutdowns in history. In addition to the search for alternative funding measures, there are other signs this shutdown won’t end soon.
Democrats, Republicans believe they’re winning public support
For starters, both sides think they’re winning. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said last week that every day keeps getting better for Democrats. They think Americans will see their insurance premiums increase at the end of the month and blame Republicans.
The GOP believes that Democrats voting against a continuing resolution over and over again will come back to haunt them. “We’re barreling toward one of the longest shutdowns in history unless Democrats drop their partisan demands,” Johnson said.
The House remains out of session
That brings us to reason number three –– Johnson has kept the chamber out of session for three weeks in a row. It appears he won’t call representatives back to Washington until they have something to vote on.
“Why in the world are House Republicans still on vacation?” Jeffries said. “They’re reinforcing the narrative that they could care less.”
So, unless that changes, this shutdown won’t end until seven Senate Democrats agree to vote for the continuing resolution. Only three have voted in favor of it so far.
