Shutdown Day 10: Trump firings begin

Added drama arrived on the 10th day of the U.S. government shutdown as President Donald Trump said he was unleashing what he called "Democratic-oriented" layoffs to occur in programs that Democrats like. 

Trump promised Friday, "It’ll be a lot" of them.

"Deliberate chaos," responded Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). He accused Trump and White House Budget Director Russl Vought of "callously choosing to hurt people" with the layoffs.

Vought telegraphed the firings in a social media post earlier Friday. Energy Department, Environmental Protection Agency and other employees have already started getting notices, and as many as 4,000 in at least seven agencies are being targeted.

Schumer and other opponents accused Trump and his administration of using the federal closure as a pretext to make cuts they wanted, regardless.

There remained little public movement toward a resolution. Democrats continued to demand that any bill to start money flowing to federal agencies include language to renew soon-to-expire COVID-era Obamacare tax credits.

But Republicans continued to refuse. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) announced Friday that he is not bringing the House back to vote next week. Johnson reiterated he will summon legislators only if Democrats provide the needed Senate votes to advance the already House-passed bill, as is.

The continued standoff on Friday prompted the Association for a Better Long Island to send an open letter to the Long Island congressional delegation. It warned that the nation, state and region already have begun to suffer economic damage.