President Trump on Saturday instructed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to use available federal funds to pay military servicemembers as an Oct. 15 pay day approaches amid the government shutdown.
“We have identified funds to do this, and Secretary Hegseth will use them to PAY OUR TROOPS,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I will not allow the Democrats to hold our Military, and the entire Security of our Nation, HOSTAGE, with their dangerous Government Shutdown.”
Military pay has become a hot button issue after the Senate went home for the long weekend following another set of failed votes on stopgap funding that would have turned the lights back on until at least Nov. 21. At least 1.3 million servicemembers were expected to not be paid on Wednesday over the lapse in federal funding.
Trump’s Saturday announcement comes as the federal government fired at least 4,100 furloughed federal workers were fired on Friday, stretching across several departments and agencies.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) laid off dozens of employees late Friday night as well.
Meanwhile, health care remains top of mind for lawmakers. At home and on Capitol Hill, Republicans are playing defense as Democrats have successfully made the funding debate about health care.
President Trump has no public events scheduled on Saturday but is expected to travel to the Middle East on Sunday to mark the implementation of a peace agreement between Israel and Hamas.
Follow along for the latest updates below.
What to know about upcoming ‘No Kings’ protests
Demonstrators will once again take to the streets for “No Kings Day,” a nationwide series of protests against the Trump administration, on Oct. 18.
While protests against President Trump have not been uncommon since his first term, “No Kings Day” kicked off on June 14. These gatherings were organized in response to the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary military parade in Washington, D.C., which coincided with Trump’s 79th birthday.
Across the country, 2,000 “No Kings” protests are scheduled for next Saturday, according to a post from the Indivisible project.
Sunday shows preview: Trump admin begins layoffs amid shutdown; Gaza ceasefire in place
More than 4,000 federal employees across several departments were laid off on Friday as the government shutdown stretched into the weekend, with no new deal between Democrats and Republicans in sight.
Details found in a Department of Justice (DOJ) court filing list the number of layoffs per department or agency. The most significant number of layoffs were at the Treasury Department, with 1,446 employees receiving reduction in force (RIF) notices on Friday.
Additionally, military servicemembers could go without their first paycheck on Oct. 15 as the government shutdown carries into another week. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) again told Republican lawmakers to go on recess until the Senate votes to pass a funding bill, with no chance for a vote on a standalone bill to pay military workers.
Schiff on Trump’s perceived retribution campaign: ‘We will not be intimidated’
Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said on Saturday that he will not be “intimidated” or “deterred” by President Trump’s perceived retribution threats, as a growing number of officials on the commander in chief’s perceived enemies list face charges.
The California Democrat, both a frequent critic of the president and target of his ire, said in a video posted on the social platform X that Trump’s “long and growing” list is not a secret, while warning his Republican colleagues that even they will not be protected from the president’s “vengeance.”
“But we will not be intimidated,” he wrote in post accompanying the video. “We will not be deterred. We will do our jobs and continue fighting back against these attempts at retribution.”
Virginia Democrats defend Spanberger’s handling of Jones text scandal
Virginia Democrats are defending gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger’s handling of a text scandal that has rocked the commonwealth less than a month out from the elections.
Over the weekend, the governor’s race was roiled by news that Democratic attorney general nominee Jay Jones had sent text messages expressing violence toward former Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert (R) back in 2022. Republicans have since used Jones’s comments, in which he suggested shooting Gilbert, to attack Spanberger amid a national reckoning over the rise of political violence.
Appeals court restores Trump’s control over National Guard in Illinois, but blocks deployment
A federal appeals court on Saturday partially restored President Trump’s control of the National Guard in Chicago and across Illinois, but prevented him from being able to actually deploy servicemembers in the Prairie State.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit granted the Trump administration’s request for an administrative stay in part, meaning the president is allowed to federalize the National Guard in Illinois. The appeals court, however, denied the administration’s request to be able to deploy the National Guard. Unless further ordered by the court to do so, troops do not need to return to their home states, the order also reads.
Trump instructs Hegseth to pay military amid shutdown
President Trump on Saturday took to Truth Social to rail against Democrats and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) over the expected military pay lapse on Oct. 15 due to the government shutdown, urging Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to use available funds to pay servicemembers.
“We have identified funds to do this, and Secretary Hegseth will use them to PAY OUR TROOPS,” he wrote on social media. “I will not allow the Democrats to hold our Military, and the entire Security of our Nation, HOSTAGE, with their dangerous Government Shutdown.”
“The Radical Left Democrats should OPEN THE GOVERNMENT, and then we can work together to address Healthcare, and many other things that they want to destroy,” he added.
Smithsonian poised to shutter museums Sunday as shutdown showdown persists
The Smithsonian Institute announced Saturday that its museums will be closed starting Sunday as the lapse in government funding persists.
“Due to the government shutdown, Smithsonian museums are temporarily closed beginning on Sunday, Oct. 12, along with our research centers and the National Zoo,” the organization wrote on the social platform X. “We will update our operating status as soon as the situation is resolved.”
“We do not plan to update social media other than to inform you of changes to our operating status,” the post continues. “While our doors are closed, Smithsonian digital resources continue to be available at http://si.edu.”
Trump fires dozens of CDC officials in shutdown layoffs: Reports
The Trump administration on Friday laid off dozens of employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as the government shutdown persists in Washington.
The firings at one of the nation’s top public health agencies follows a series of turmoil around leadership changes and a stark update to guidance on health and vaccine policies.
Johnson says Democrats are to blame for looming lapse in military pay
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Saturday cast blame on Democrats for a looming lapse in military pay as the shutdown impasse persists, pointing to seven failed votes in the Senate to pass his stopgap funding bill.
“HR 5371 (the Continuing Resolution) is the bill to pay our troops,” he wrote on social platform X. “No one in the military or any military family should have their pay blocked on October 15! Since the bill ALREADY PASSED THE HOUSE, a simple yes vote by five more Democrats on Tuesday would allow the military to be paid on Wednesday.”
The Speaker added, “Call your Democrat Senator and insist they stop hurting the families who already sacrifice so much!”
Biden undergoing radiation therapy for prostate cancer
President Biden is receiving radiation therapy as he battles an aggressive form of prostate cancer, a spokesperson told The Hill on Saturday.
“As part of a treatment plan for prostate cancer, President Biden is currently undergoing radiation therapy and hormone treatment,” the spokesperson said.
A source familiar told NBC News that the former president’s treatment will span five weeks.
Biden, 82, was diagnosed with cancer in May. A spokesperson at the time said the disease was “characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone” and appeared “hormone-sensitive,” allowing for management.
Spanish official brushes off Trump’s NATO expulsion remarks: ‘We are not worried’
Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles on Friday said the nation is “not worried” about removal from the NATO alliance, despite quips from President Trump about the country being the lowest defense spender.
“We are not worried,” Robles told reporters in Madrid according to The Associated Press.
She added later, “I believe that President Trump must know that Spain is one of the committed and loyal (NATO) allies.”
However, her comments ring hollow in comparison to the president’s remarks from the Oval Office on Thursday alongside Finnish President Alexander Stubb.
Zelensky says Gaza peace deal shows promise for Ukraine after call with Trump
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday said President Trump’s ability to successfully broker a peace agreement between Israel and Hamas provides hope for an end to the war in Eastern Europe.
“If a war can be stopped in one region, then surely other wars can be stopped as well—including the Russian war,” Zelensky wrote in a statement on the social platform X, after a congratulatory call to Trump.
Steve Witkoff, the special envoy to the Middle East, and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner both worked alongside the Qatari and Egyptian governments to help solidify a peace deal. The president is expected to join the group of negotiators early next week to help oversee the release of hostages and a pause in fighting in Gaza.
At least 20 EPA employees told to expect layoffs
Employees in the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Resource Conservation and Sustainability Division received an email indicating the agency would be undertaking a RIF. Between 20 and 30 EPA employees were told that they may be affected by a RIF in the future.
“EPA has not made a final decision as to whether or when to issue RIF notices to some or all of those employees at some point going forward and is currently deliberating regarding those potential plans,” a DOJ filing read.
Asked about layoffs broadly, an EPA spokesperson told The Hill via email, “It’s unfortunate that Democrats have chosen to shut down the government and brought about this outcome. If they want to reopen the government, they can choose to do so at any time.”
Contingency plans posted online ahead of the shutdown showed roughly 89 percent of the EPA’s workforce was slated to be furloughed during the shutdown.
The EPA confirmed in June it was down more than 700 staffers since January, though those staffers may have separated from the agency for any number of reasons.
At least 176 laid off at DHS
Department of Homeland Security laid off at least 176 employees on Friday amid the White House’s shutdown purge.
Many employees working in the Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), were set to be let go.
“RIFs will be occurring at CISA. During the last administration CISA was focused on censorship, branding and electioneering,” a DHS spokesperson said in a statement to The Hill. “This is part of getting CISA back on mission.”
The Trump administration has previously targeted the agency after its former leader — Christopher Krebs — refuted the president’s claims about 2020 election fraud. Trump fired Krebs in November 2020, and the administration revoked his security clearance earlier this year.
HHS lays off at least 1.1K
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) laid off between 1,100 and 1,200 employees in Friday’s shutdown firings.
HHS said in a statement to The Hill that employees “across multiple divisions” had received notices about reductions in force “as a direct consequence of the Democrat-led shutdown.”
The New York Times reported on Friday evening that dozens of officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were fired as well.
Hillary Clinton, Condoleezza Rice commend Trump over Israel-Hamas deal
Former Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and Condoleezza Rice on Friday commended President Trump for successfully facilitating the first stages of a ceasefire deal with Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
“It’s a really significant first step, and I really commend President Trump and his administration, as well as Arab leaders in the region, for making the commitment to the 20-point plan and seeing a path forward for what’s often called the day after,” Clinton told CBS News in an interview.
“Most importantly, the conflict hopefully will end with the ceasefire,” she added.
Israel, amid Gaza ceasefire, kills at least 1 in overnight strikes on Lebanon
The Israeli military launched airstrikes on Lebanon overnight targeting Hezbollah and killing at least one person.
The attack on the village of Msayleh also destroyed a highway that connects Lebanon to Beirut, the Lebanese Health Ministry said, according to The Associated Press.
Republicans, playing defense on health care, uncertain of path forward
Republicans are on the defensive as Democrats have successfully made the shutdown fight about health care.
Most Republicans said they don’t want to see insurance premiums spike, but neither are they willing to openly support the extension of the enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits Democrats are asking for.
While the GOP has remained united in refusing to even entertain the idea of an extension in the context of ending the shutdown, Republicans don’t appear to have an alternate plan for what happens next.
Trump civil fraud case casts shadow on Letitia James indictment
New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) faces criminal charges over allegations she lied about her plans for a Virginia home, allowing her to obtain favorable loan terms.
The accusations of real estate fraud against a prominent political figure may ring a bell.
James’s sweeping civil fraud case against President Trump and his business empire — the case that put her in his crosshairs — casts a shadow over the charges now lodged against the state’s top prosecutor herself, though far smaller in scope.
Murkowski bashes Trump administration over ‘punitive’ federal layoffs
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) took a swipe at White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) director Russell Vought over the firing of federal workers amid the government shutdown.
“While few details have been shared about Russell Vought’s latest layoffs, there is no question this is poorly timed and yet another example of this administration’s punitive actions toward the federal workforce,” Murkowski posted on the social media site X.
The Trump administration on Friday laid off 4,100 federal workers. This includes between 1,100 and 1,200 employees at the Department of Health and Human Services, 1,446 employees at the Department of the Treasury and around 466 Department of Education employees.
Trump in ‘exceptional health’ after Walter Reed visit, doctor says
President Trump’s doctor said the commander-in-chief is in “exceptional health” following his “semiannual physical” at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland on Friday.
During his physical, the president received “preventive health screenings and immunizations,” including a flu shot and COVID-19 booster vaccination, according to a memorandum from Trump’s physician Sean Barbabella.
These screenings and immunizations were in preparation for his “upcoming international travel,” Barbabella said. Trump plans to fly to Egypt and Israel early next week as part of the implementation of his peace plan between Israel and Hamas, which both parties have agreed to, following two years of war.
Trump administration fires at least 4.1K federal workers in shutdown layoffs
The Trump administration laid off more than 4,100 employees Friday amid the ongoing government shutdown, according to a new court filing from the Justice Department.
U.S. District Judge Susan Illston had ordered the administration to hand over the information in a lawsuit government unions filed just before the shutdown began.
Hours ahead of the judge’s deadline, the White House budget office announced reductions in force (RIFs) were commencing after days of threats.
A senior administration official told The Hill the figures are “just a snapshot in time.”