Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) praised President Trump for being “willing to take the heat” after thousands of furloughed federal employees were laid off during the government shutdown.
“What’s fascinating, if you watch, Trump has now begun to systematically lay off people permanently,” Gingrich said Sunday on the “Cats Roundtable” radio show hosted by John Catsimatidis on WABC 770 AM. “I think what Trump is gambling is that he can actually change the federal government dramatically during the shutdown.”
“He’s willing to take the heat because, frankly, when he’s busy going to the Middle East to be part of a peace treaty signing, that is astonishing, he’s got other big things he’s doing, so he’s not particularly bothered,” Gingrich continued.
But it could become “a different issue” when military servicemembers do not receive their next paychecks on Oct. 15 should the government remain closed, Gingrich told Catsimatidis.
“Frankly, I think Republicans ought to consider passing a military pay bill and see if the Democrats are willing to vote not to pay for the military,” Gingrich said.
Catsimatidis and Gingrich also discussed Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees going without pay, which Gingrich said lawmakers should consider addressing too.
“The people who are keeping this government closed are the Senate Democrats, led by [Senate Minority Leader] Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and my guess is Trump will hold out as long as he needs to,” Gingrich said.
On Friday, a Department of Justice (DOJ) filing showed that 4,100 federal workers were laid off, including 1,446 Treasury Department employees and dozens of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) employees, including those who investigate disease outbreaks.
Federal employee unions have said they would challenge the firings in court. Democrats and some Republicans criticized the layoffs, saying the moves turn federal workers into political pawns.
After House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said there would not be a vote on a standalone bill to fund military workers and FAA air traffic controllers, Trump on Saturday directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to use “all available funds” to ensure military servicemembers are paid on time.
The Defense Department (DOD) identified “approximately $8 billion of unobligated research development testing and evaluation funds (RDTE) from the prior fiscal year that will be used to issue mid-month paychecks to service members in the event the funding lapse continues past Oct. 15,” a DOD official told The Hill on Saturday.
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