U.S. President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speak as they pose for a photo, at a world leaders’ summit on ending the Gaza war on October 13, 2025 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. (Photo by Suzanne Plunkett – Pool / Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump said he’s terminating trade negotiations with Canada citing a negative TV advertisement about tariffs. Trump claimed, without evidence, that the ad aimed to sway the outcome of a U.S. Supreme Court case over the policy set to come before justices next month.
“TARIFFS ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO THE NATIONAL SECURITY, AND ECONOMY, OF THE U.S.A. Based on their egregious behavior, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED,” Trump posted on his social media platform.
“Canada is trying to illegally influence the United States Supreme Court in one of the most important rulings in the history of our Country,” Trump said on Friday morning.
Trump did not specify which law Canada had allegedly broken.
The ad campaign in question was rolled out earlier this month by the Canadian province of Ontario. The ad features audio with excerpts of a 1987 address by then-President Ronald Reagan that came as he imposed some duties on Japanese products but cautioned about the long-term economic risks of high tariffs and the threat of a trade war.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford called for a spirit of partnership between the two countries in a post on X on Friday.
“Canada and the United States are friends, neighbours and allies. President Ronald Reagan knew that we are stronger together. God bless Canada and God bless the United States,” Ford said.
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute said in a statement on social media Thursday evening that the Canadian ad campaign used “selective audio and video” of Reagan and “misrepresents” what he said in the address.
Referring to the Canadian ad campaign, Trump said, “They only did this to interfere with the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, and other courts.”
The Supreme Court is set to decide this term whether Trump’s sweeping global reciprocal tariffs are an illegal use of emergency authority granted by Congress — and whether tens of billions of dollars collected so far must be refunded.
Earlier this month, in a White House meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Trump signaled optimism about a potential U.S.-Canada trade deal, saying the two sides had “come a long way” in negotiations.
In July, Trump issued a 35% tariff on most goods and raw materials from Canada.
French police officers stand in front of the Louvre Museum after a robbery in Paris, France, on October 19, 2025. (Photo by Jerome Gilles/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
(LONDON) — Investigators have collected more than 150 trace samples, including fingerprints, bits of DNA and other silent evidence, from the scene of the Louvre heist, a source close to the Minister of the Interior in France has told ABC News.
The samples are now being analyzed in Paris as authorities work to identify the suspects and the manhunt for the four main suspects in the brazen heist enters its sixth day on Friday.
Investigators have said they are in a race against time to catch the culprits, fearing they will dismantle the eight pieces they got away with and attempt to fence the many diamonds, precious stones and gold piecemeal.
On Thursday, a dramatic video surfaced capturing two of the thieves wanted in the brazen $102 million jewel heist at the Louvre as they exited the crime scene on a mobile cherry picker and fled on motorbikes with the loot.
Two French law enforcement sources confirmed to ABC News on Thursday that investigators are aware of the video and are reviewing it for clues as part of the investigation. The sources said the video was taken from inside the Louvre by members of the museum security staff.
The video, circulating online and verified by ABC News, shows the two thieves coming down from the targeted Apollo Gallery at the world-famous museum in a truck-mounted mechanical cherry picker.
In the footage, alarms can be heard going off in the background. The alleged perpetrators — one wearing a motorcycle helmet and the other covering their face with a balaclava and wearing a yellow construction worker vest – are seen making their way to the street.
Across the street from the escaping thieves, people can be seen walking and jogging along the Seine River as traffic goes by. The thieves are then seen jumping on a motorcycle and speeding off with the jewels.
French investigators said the entire robbery from start to getaway took seven minutes.
Among the eight pieces of jewelry taken was a pearl and diamond tiara from the collection of Queen Marie-Amelie and Queen Hortense, according to the Louvre. The tiara, according to the Louvre, is composed of 212 pearls of various sizes and nearly 2,000 diamonds. The piece was commissioned by Emperor Napoleon III for his marriage to Eugenie de Montijo in 1853.
Also stolen was another tiara from the collection of Queen Marie-Amelie and Queen Hortense composed of sapphires and 1,083 diamonds, according to the Louvre.
Officials said earlier this week that evidence collected so far points to “organized crime,” but added that investigators have not ruled out that the heist could have been an inside job.
Police officers investigate a U-Haul truck that was involved in an incident outside of Coast Guard Island Alameda on October 23, 2025 in Oakland, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
(OAKLAND, Calif.) — Shots were fired by law enforcement officers late Thursday after a driver failed to comply with verbal commands and attempted to back into Coast Guard Base Alameda in California, officials said.
At approximately 10:00 p.m. PST on Thursday, Coast Guard security personnel standing watch on Coast Guard Island observed a vehicle driving erratically and attempting to back into Coast Guard Base Alameda, posing a direct threat to the safety of Coast Guard and security personnel, according to a spokesperson from the United States Coast Guard.
“Coast Guard personnel issued multiple verbal commands to stop the vehicle, the driver failed to comply and proceeded to put the vehicle in reverse,” officials said. “When the vehicle’s actions posed a direct threat to the safety of Coast Guard and security personnel, law enforcement officers discharged several rounds of live fire.”
No Coast Guard personnel were injured in the incident. Additional details on the driver were not immediately available.
The FBI is leading the investigation and are coordinating with law enforcement partners in the area.
Officials said additional information will be released as it becomes available.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
ABC News’ Ahmad Hemingway contributed to this report.
A Alaska Airline plane flies past the stadium while teams warm up prior to a NWSL match between Bay FC and San Diego Wave at PayPal Park on August 16, 2025 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/NWSL via Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Alaska Airlines operations have been restored after a significant IT outage resulted in a system-wide ground stop of flights for Alaska and Horizon, according to Alaska Airlines.
The ground stop was lifted at 11:30 p.m. PST as the company said they are “working to get our operations back on track as quickly and safely as possible.”
“Since this afternoon, we’ve had more than 229 flight cancellations,” the airline said. “Additional flight disruptions are likely as we reposition aircraft and crews throughout our network.”
“We appreciate the patience of our guests whose travel plans have been disrupted. We’re working to get them to their destinations as quickly as we can. Before heading to the airport, we encourage flyers to check their flight status,” the statement continued. “A flexible travel policy is in place to support guests as operations return to normal following an IT outage.”
The airline had grounded their flights nationwide on Thursday after the airline said it was experiencing an “IT outage affecting operations,” saying the issue was a failure in its primary data center and not a cyberattack or related to any other event.
As the ground stop stretched on, the airline said it was canceling Alaska Airlines flights as well as flights on Horizon Air, a regional airline owned by the airline. Hawaiian Airlines flights were not affected.
The Federal Aviation Administration first issued a ground stop about 7:30 p.m. ET after a request by the airline.
“We deeply apologize to our guests whose travel plans have been disrupted today,” the airline said in a statement. “We’re working to get them to their destinations as quickly as we can.”
It’s the second IT outage affecting the airline this year.
New York Mayor Eric Adams poses with mayoral candidate, Andrew Cuomo during the NBA game between the New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden, October 22, 2025, in New York City. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Less than a month after dropping out of the mayor’s race, embattled incumbentEric Adams on Thursday endorsed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has been ramping up his attacks against Democratic nominee state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani.
Adams, who stepped aside due to low poll numbers and scandals involving a federal indictment that was later dismissed, made the announcement the day after he and Cuomo sat courtside together for the New York Knicks NBA home opener at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night, right after a contentious mayoral debate between Mamdani, Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa.
Mamdani responded on his social media accounts.
“Corruption goes courtside,” he wrote, sharing the photo that Cuomo posted.
Adams and Cuomo appeared together Thursday afternoon to announce the endorsement.
“Am I angry that I’m not the one taking down Zohran, the socialist and the communist? You’re darn right I am,” Adams said. “But you know what? The city means more to me than anything, and it is time for us as a family to come together.”
Mamdani is a self-identified democratic socialist but does not identify as a communist.
Cuomo thanked Adams for putting his ambition aside to endorse him “because he cares more about New York City, and he believes Zohran is an existential threat to New York City, and we all have to do our best to make sure that Zohran does not become the next mayor.”
Mamdani, who defeated Cuomo in the primary and is leading in the polls, slammed Adams’ endorsement and linked both men to the Trump administration.
“We also know that this is the art of the deal. We have a president of this country who has spoken publicly of his desire for Eric Adams to drop out of the race. Eric Adams dropped out. [He has] spoken of his desire for candidates to consolidate behind Andrew Cuomo. Today, Eric Adams is endorsing Andrew Cuomo,” Mamdani told reporters at an event.
Adams’s indictment on bribery charges was dismissed by the Department of Justice in the spring and led to several career federal prosecutors resigning in protest. The mayor, who spoke with White House officials since Trump returned to office, had pleaded not guilty and denied any wrongdoing.
Cuomo resigned from the governor’s office in 2021 following mounting sexual harassment allegations and probes into his handling of nursing home deaths during the COVID pandemic.
Cuomo denied the sexual harassment allegations and accusations that he didn’t do enough to prevent deaths during the pandemic. The governor hasn’t been charged in either of those instances.
Mamdani argued that Cuomo, who is running on a third-party line after losing the Democratic primary, and Adams are “two illustrations of the same broken politics.”
Adams called Cuomo a “snake” during the campaign and criticized the former governor for his scandals throughout the summer before Adams dropped out of the race. He initially refused to endorse any candidate but vocally opposed Mamdani.
Cuomo has also been attacking Mamdani over several issues, including his inexperience, ties to the Democratic Socialists of America and comments about the Israel and Gaza conflict that the former governor has argued were antisemitic.
Mamdani has refuted those arguments and promised to work for all New Yorkers, including its Jewish population.
The Democratic nominee also slammed Cuomo over recent comments and posts the former governor and his campaign made in the last 24 hours.
Cuomo took a shot at Mamdani during an interview that aired Thursday morning with conservative radio host Sid Rosenberg.
“God forbid, another 9/11 — can you imagine Mamdani in the seat?” Cuomo said.
Rich Azzopardi, a spokesman for Cuomo, told ABC News that the former governor “was referring to Mamdani’s close friend Hasan Piker, who said ‘America deserved 9/11,’ a statement 9/11 families called on Zohran Mamdani to denounce but he refused for months.”
Cuomo did not bring up Piker’s name or his comments during the Rosenberg interview.
Mamdani was asked on Thursday if he thought Cuomo’s comments were Islamophobic.
“Yes, I believe that they were,” he said. “We’re speaking about a former governor who in his final moments in public life is engaging in rhetoric that is not only Islamophobic, not only racist, is also disgusting and is his final closing argument with less than two weeks before Election Day.”
Cuomo is also under fire for an AI-generated video that was posted briefly by his X account during Wednesday’s debate.
The now-deleted video consisted of stereotypical imagery that declared that Mamdani is supported by criminals. The start of the video features a small watermark saying that it is AI-generated and at the end says it was “paid for by Cuomo for NYC.”
“Zohran Mamdani’s opponents want you to believe he’s an inexperienced radical whose policies will make New York City more dangerous. But what do his actual supporters think?” the video begins.
A slate of people portrayed as aligning themselves with the Democratic candidate are then depicted in a stereotypical manner with stereotypical attire — including a Black man shoplifting and at one point wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh, a domestic abuser, a trespasser, a man with a van full of prostitutes, a drunk driver and a homeless man buying drugs.
Cuomo’s campaign said the video was a “draft proposal” that was not approved and posted by accident.
The Cuomo campaign has launched ads online and on TV over the last few weeks that use AI-generated videos
One took a subtle shot at Mamdani’s lack of experience, showing Cuomo in a several different jobs like Wall Street broker before he says, “I’m Andrew Cuomo and I could pretend to do a lot of jobs, but I know what I know, and I know what I don’t know.”
Another shows former Mayor Bill de Blasio dressed up and talking like the “Austin Powers” character Dr. Evil with his sidekick Mini Me that looked like Mamdani.
Cartons of donated eggs are delivered by Alameda County Community Food Bank to the TSA office at the Oakland International Airport in Oakland, Calif. Oct. 16, 2025. (Bronte Wittpenn/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) –Food banks are seeing a surge of demand across the country as the government shutdown weathers its fourth week – and military families are among those turning to public pantries to put food on the table.
The Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA), a nonprofit that provides support and assistance to military families, told ABC News that they’ve seen a 30%-75% jump in demand at its food banks near military bases since the shutdown began, as military personnel go without pay while the funding impasse wears on.
The ASYMCA in Killeen, Texas, near Fort Hood, told ABC News that they’ve seen a 60% spike in military families seeking food at their location.
Amy George, senior vice president of Military Family Services for the ASYMCA, told ABC News that the shutdown is hurting military families.
“When you see service members in their military uniform raising their hands and saying, ‘hey, I need a little extra support in the form of food,’ it is surprising and shocking,” George said. “We do want America to see this picture, to try to better understand that these are some of the challenges that military families are facing.”
The Pentagon diverted money in its budget to prevent military families from missing their paychecks earlier this month. But as their next payday approaches on Oct. 31, it’s unclear if they will get paid this time.
“I think we’re concerned, like everybody else, and very hopeful that it’ll end sooner than later,” George added of the shutdown.
The Senate on Thursday failed to advance a bill sponsored by Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., that would have provided appropriations to pay military personnel and “excepted employees” of federal agencies being affected by the shutdown.
One client of the ASYMCA food bank in Killeen told ABC News that she feels caught in the middle of a political battle, and that she would have to visit a second food bank later that day in order to feed her family.
“I feel like we’re in the crossfire,” she said. “Our families are struggling, and it’s causing way too much stress and a burden on our families.”
She urged lawmakers on Capitol Hill to end the shutdown: “Finish it, get together. Make a plan.”
Government food assistance programs across the country also could end on Nov. 1 if the government shutdown, now the second-longest in U.S. history, continues beyond that date. Many states are warning that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, which is administered by states but funded by the federal government via the U.S. Department of Agriculture, could halt benefits.
In a letter to state health officials obtained by ABC News during the second week of the shutdown, Ronald Ward, the acting head of SNAP, said the program on which millions of low-income Americans rely “has funding available for benefits and operations through the month of October.”
“If the current lapse in appropriations continues, there will be insufficient funds to pay full November SNAP benefits for approximately 42 million individuals across the nation,” Ward added.
Earlier this month, Feeding America, a nationwide network of food banks, also urged Congress to end the shutdown.
“Many people in America are a single missed paycheck away from needing support from their local food banks. A prolonged shutdown will deepen the strain, and more families will seek help at a time when food banks are already stretched due to sustained high need,” Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America, said in a statement.
“We urge Congress to end the shutdown,” she added.
(PARIS) — A dramatic video has surfaced, capturing two of the thieves wanted in the brazen $102 million jewel heist at the Louvre exiting the crime scene on a mobile cherry picker and fleeing on motorbikes with the loot.
Two French law enforcement sources confirmed to ABC News on Thursday that investigators are aware of the video and are reviewing it for clues as part of the investigation. The sources said the video was taken from inside the Louvre by members of the museum security staff.
The video, circulating online and verified by ABC News, shows the two thieves coming down from the targeted Apollo Gallery at the world-famous museum in a truck-mounted mechanical cherry picker.
In the footage, alarms can be heard going off in the background. The alleged perpetrators — one wearing a motorcycle helmet and the other covering their face with a balaclava and wearing a yellow construction worker vest – are seen making their way to the street.
Across the street from the escaping thieves, people can be seen walking and jogging along the Seine River as traffic goes by. The thieves are then seen jumping on a motorcycle and speeding off with the jewels.
French investigators said the entire robbery from start to getaway took seven minutes.
During her testimony before France’s Senate Culture Committee on Wednesday, Laurence des Cars, the president and director of the Louvre, said the only camera installed outside the Apollo Gallery was facing west and did not cover the window where the thieves used power tools to break in and exit.
“We did not spot the criminals arriving from outside early enough,” des Cars said.
In the video, someone on a two-way radio or intercom is heard saying, they were looking at one of the thieves getting on “his scooter” and adding, “They’re going to leave.” Moments later, a person filming could be heard saying in French, “F—, they’re gone?”
The manhunt for four main suspects in the brazen heist entered its fifth day on Thursday. Investigators have said they are in a race against time to catch the culprits, fearing they will dismantle the eight pieces they got away with and attempt to fence the many diamonds, precious stones and gold piecemeal.
Among the eight pieces of jewelry taken was a pearl and diamond tiara from the collection of Queen Marie-Amelie and Queen Hortense, according to the Louvre. The tiara, according to the Louvre, is composed of 212 pearls of various sizes and nearly 2,000 diamonds. The piece was commissioned by Emperor Napoleon III for his marriage to Eugenie de Montijo in 1853.
Also stolen was another tiara from the collection of Queen Marie-Amelie and Queen Hortense composed of sapphires and 1,083 diamonds, according to the Louvre.
On Wednesday, French police told ABC News that traces of DNA were found in one of the helmets and one of the gloves the suspects left behind after a jewelry heist.
In what could be the major break in the probe, investigators are now analyzing the DNA in hopes of finding a match.
The latest developments come as des Cars, the Louvre director, took the hot seat on Wednesday, telling lawmakers she submitted her resignation following Sunday’s heist.
Appearing in front of France’s Senate Culture Committee for two hours, des Cars said her resignation was rejected.
“This tragedy deeply shocked museum staff, fellow citizens, and admirers of the Louvre around the world,” said des Cars, reading an opening statement. “This is an immense wound that has been inflicted on us.”
Des Cars said all of the museum’s alarms worked, as did its video cameras, but noted a “weakness” in security.
“The weakness of the Louvre is its perimeter security, which has been a problem for a long time … certainly due to underinvestment,” des Cars told the lawmakers.
She said a “Grand Louvre renovation project” began 40 years ago “and has only affected half of the museum.”
Des Cars added, “The security system, as installed in the Apollo Gallery, worked perfectly. The question that arises is how to adapt this system to a new type of attack and modus operandi that we could not have foreseen.”
Despite touting the security system within the Louvre as working properly, des Cars added, “Today we are witnessing a terrible failure at the Louvre. The security of the Louvre is one of my top priorities during my term of office, and I repeat that I was appalled by the museum’s security situation when I arrived in 2021.”
Des Cars said the 232-year-old museum’s “aging infrastructure” has hindered “the installation of modern equipment.”
Officials said earlier this week that evidence collected so far points to “organized crime,” but added that investigators have not ruled out that the heist could have been an inside job.
(ONTARIO, Calif.) — The driver of a semi-truck that slammed into multiple vehicles, killing three people, on a California highway was allegedly under the influence of drugs, authorities said.
The driver — identified by authorities as 21-year-old Jashanpreet Singh — was booked for vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence of drugs in connection with Tuesday’s chain-reaction crash on Interstate 10 in Ontario, according to the California Highway Patrol.
He is in the United States illegally and an immigration detainer has also been placed on him, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Authorities said Singh was driving a Freightliner semi-truck and failed to stop in time when traffic in his lane had slowed or stopped Tuesday afternoon. Three people were killed and at least four others injured in the multi-vehicle crash, police said.
Dash camera footage of the crash showed the truck slam into multiple vehicles in a fiery crash, then veer off into the shoulder and ram into additional vehicles before coming to a stop.
Eight vehicles, including four commercial vehicles, were involved in the crash, police said.
“This is sadly a reminder of how precious life is and how fast it could be taken away at the hands of somebody who is driving irresponsibly, somebody who is impaired,” California Highway Patrol Officer Rodrigo Jimenez told Los Angeles ABC station KABC.
Singh, of Yuba City, is being held without bail and is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday, online jail records show.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement has also lodged an arrest detainer for Singh, according to DHS, which said he is in the U.S. illegally from India, entering through the southern border in 2022.
“This tragedy follows a disturbing pattern of criminal illegal aliens driving commercial vehicles on American roads, directly threatening public safety,” DHS said on X.
When contacted for information on the truck driver’s commercial license, a California Highway Patrol spokesperson told ABC News they are not releasing any further information on Singh at this time.
Singh has a valid commercial driver’s license that expires in October 2026, KABC reported, according to the California Department of Motor Vehicles.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy reacted with outrage to the incident.
“This is exactly why I set new restrictions that prohibit ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS from operating trucks,” he said on X on Thursday.
Since taking office, Duffy has issued an order announcing new guidelines to strengthen English language enforcement for commercial truck operators, following an executive order from President Donald Trump that reinforced English requirements for truck drivers.
Last week, Duffy said the Transportation Department will withhold $40 million from California after an investigation found it to be the only state failing to enforce English language requirements for truckers.
“This is exactly why @USDOT has withheld $40 MILLION from California for failure to comply with our rules to protect drivers,” Duffy said on X on Wednesday in response to the deadly crash. “We cannot allow our roads to be a dangerous place!”
The investigation came after a deadly Florida collision in August involving a foreign truck driver who authorities said made an illegal U-turn on a highway and caused a crash that killed three people. The driver was charged with three counts of vehicular homicide.
Florida authorities have said the driver, who is from India, entered the country illegally from Mexico in 2018.
When interviewed, the driver did not speak English, according to DOT. He had been issued a non-domiciled commercial driver’s license by California in 2024, as well as a regular commercial driver’s license by Washington state in 2023, DOT said.
California officials said he had a valid work permit at the time.
In September, Duffy announced stricter eligibility requirements for noncitizens seeking non-domiciled commercial learner’s permits and commercial driver’s licenses.
(SAN DIEGO) — Three federal officers were injured after a man, who Immigration and Customs Enforcement said is in the country illegally, allegedly rammed his car into their vehicles to evade arrest, according to the agency.
The incident occurred on Wednesday when the suspect rammed his vehicle, “striking ICE officers before crashing into multiple government vehicles,” ICE San Diego Field Office Director Patrick Divver said.
The suspect was in the U.S. illegally from Kuwait and had a “final order of deportation from the United States,” Divver said.
“This illegal criminal alien who is wanted in his home country of Kuwait and who has a violent criminal history, weaponized his vehicle to narrowly miss hitting an innocent bystanders and striking ICE officers before crashing into multiple government vehicles,” Divver said in a statement to ABC News.
The identity of the suspect was not released by ICE.
Michael Burreec, a witness to the car ramming, told ABC San Diego affiliate KGTV that the incident occurred in a residential neighborhood with a 20 mph speed zone and a day care center nearby.
Divver said the suspect’s “blatant disregard for human life and the rule of the law is exactly why ICE San Diego will continue to pursue, arrest and remove dangerous illegal aliens who threaten our communities.”
The three injured federal officers and the suspect were treated at a local hospital, Divver said. ICE will pursue criminal charges against the suspect for “assaulting, resisting, opposing, and impeding” federal officers, he added.
“This is another unfortunate example of the continued misinformed and unjust rhetoric against ICE empowering individuals to flee and assault federal officers conducting lawful enforcement actions in accordance with applicable congressionally approved federal law,” Divver said.
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill on October 6, 2025 in Washington, DC. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — The Senate on Thursday failed to advance Sen. Ron Johnson’s bill that would have provided pay to some federal workers during the shutdown.
The “Shutdown Fairness Act” — put forward by Johnson — failed by a vote of 55-45. It would have needed 60 votes to advance.
Democratic Sens. John Fetterman, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock voted with all Republicans to advance the bill. All other Democrats voted against it, effectively blocking it from advancing.
While the bill would not have ended the shutdown, it would allow some federal employees to get paid.
Johnson’s bill would have provided appropriations to pay the troops and “excepted employees” of federal agencies being affected by the shutdown. That includes employees determined by the Office of Personnel Management to be performing emergency work, or for contractors who provide support to those employees.
Democrats were reluctant to provide votes out of concerns that Johnson’s bill gives the administration and Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought too broad of authority to determine which employees would get paid and which wouldn’t.
Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen offered an alternative bill to Johnson’s that would pay all federal employees. Johnson blocked that proposal — along with another similar option from Democrats. Democrats attempted to pass both of these bills unanimously, so Johnson’s objection alone was enough to block them.
Johnson noted that the proposals Democrats offered are “95%” similar. But he noted that the Democrat proposal is different because it only lasts through this fiscal year, includes furloughed employees and limits reduction in force.
The reduction in force issue was a challenge for Johnson, but he said he was open to negotiation on it.
“I don’t think we should limit the chief executive’s ability to properly manage the federal government and make the tough decision sometimes to reduce the workforce,” Johnson said. “That’s something we can talk about.”
Johnson said he blocked the bills in part because he wants Democrats to allow for debate on his legislation so a solution can actually be reached. The best way to work toward a solution for federal employees, Johnson said, was to begin debate on a bill rather than trying to pass one unanimously as Democrats did.
Federal employees, he said, need that.
“To see that they get their paycheck, so they don’t have to work Door Dash, so they don’t have to go to food banks, so they’re not under that stress — I am asking in good faith, let’s figure out how to get that done,” Johnson said.
The vote on the bill came as federal workers will miss their first full paycheck on Friday.
The legislation put Democrats in an interesting spot, as Republicans work to brand votes against this bill as votes against paying federal workers.
Van Hollen attacked Johnson’s bill, saying it would “essentially weaponize the government shutdown to allow President Trump to decide who works and gets paid and who doesn’t work and doesn’t get paid.”
“Our belief is that no federal employee, no one should bear the burden or be punished for a shutdown they have nothing to do with. So our view is that we want to make sure everybody gets paid at the end of the day.”
When pressed on why he would not, therefore, support the clean bill Republican’s have put forward 11 times, Van Hollen said it’s important to both pay Americans and protect health care.
“Of course we want to open the government. That’s the best way to address this issue. We also need to address these other big issues,” Van Hollen said.
No vote is expected for Thursday on the clean short-term funding bill. With senators leaving town for the weekend, the shutdown will drag on to Monday.
