Trump freezes $26bn for Democratic states as government shutdown deepens, sparking job fears, partisan clashes, and warnings of lasting fallout.

The Trump administration has frozen $26 billion in funding earmarked for Democratic-leaning states, intensifying the standoff as the US government shutdown enters another day without resolution.

The freeze includes $18 billion for transit projects in New York—home to top Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries—and $8 billion for green-energy initiatives across 16 Democratic-run states, including California and Illinois. The move underscores President Donald Trump’s threat to leverage the shutdown to punish his political rivals and consolidate control over the federal budget.

Vice President JD Vance warned that if the shutdown drags on, the administration could extend its purge of federal workers, adding to the 300,000 already expected to lose their jobs by December. “Billions of dollars can be saved,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, signalling he would not back down.

The shutdown—the 15th since 1981—has left 750,000 federal workers either furloughed or working without pay. Services ranging from environmental cleanups to scientific research have been halted, while the Department of Veterans Affairs confirmed that burials will continue at national cemeteries but without headstones or groundskeeping.

Democrats have accused Trump of using the shutdown as a political weapon. Schumer said the president was “using the American people as pawns, threatening pain on the country as blackmail.” Jeffries warned that the funding freeze would devastate jobs tied to infrastructure projects in New York.

Even some Republicans voiced concern. Senator Thom Tillis cautioned that cutting off infrastructure funds could “create a toxic environment” and complicate efforts to end the shutdown. However, Senate Republican Leader John Thune dismissed such concerns, insisting the solution was simple: “Vote to open up the government and that issue goes away.”

Despite repeated attempts, the Senate rejected efforts to keep the government functioning as both a Republican proposal that would fund the government through November 21 and a Democratic vote that would pair funding with additional health benefits failed in floor votes.

Trump’s Republicans hold a 53-47 Senate majority, but they need the support of at least seven of Schumer’s Democrats to meet the chamber’s 60-vote threshold for spending bills.

An issue on the government funding front is $1.7 trillion for agency operations, which amounts to roughly one-quarter of annual spending. Much of the remainder goes to health and retirement programs and interest payments on the growing $37.5 trillion debt.

Democrats are pushing for safeguards to prevent Trump from ignoring spending laws once signed, a practice they accuse him of repeating since his return to office. Meanwhile, both sides continue to trade blame, each hoping to sway public opinion ahead of the 2026 midterms.

As the deadlock deepens, comparisons are being drawn to the record 35-day shutdown in 2018-2019 during Trump’s first term. Then, as now, it was prolonged disruption to basic services—such as delayed flights—that ultimately broke the impasse. (ARISE NEWS)