On the sixth day of the ongoing government shutdown, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt made it clear that if Democrats fail to vote to reopen the government by Monday night, millions of federal workers will miss their next full paycheck.
Speaking to reporters, Leavitt stressed the growing hardship among federal employees. “Millions of American federal workers are under enormous financial stress as a result, wondering how they will pay their bills and take care of their families,” she said.
“If the Democrats do not vote to open the government tonight, federal workers will not receive their next full paycheck.”
Senators are scheduled to reconvene at 3 p.m. at the Capitol, just days after a Republican short-term funding bill failed to clear the 60-vote threshold needed to end a filibuster in the evenly divided Senate.
Leavitt defended the GOP-backed proposal, calling it a “clean and nonpartisan funding bill” that keeps the government running at current levels through November 21. “The Republican-backed clean and nonpartisan funding bill fully funds the important food aid program, gets our troops paid, and reopens the government,” she stated.
“So all of this begs the question, what is the Democrat ongoing shutdown truly about? The sad truth we believe is that the Democrats intentionally shut down the government and are inflicting this pain on American citizens to try and demand free health care for illegal aliens.”
According to Leavitt, her party is focused on ensuring critical services continue, while Democrats are “continuing to play political games.” She emphasized that President Donald Trump remains engaged in other national and international matters like negotiating peace deals and meeting world leaders.
Last week, Democratic leaders dug in over federal health care spending, rejecting the GOP proposal for temporary funding. Republicans argue their measure would buy time to negotiate a long-term solution without hurting services.
View this post on Instagram
President Trump echoed Leavitt’s sharp criticism of Democratic leaders during remarks on Sunday. Asked about his threat to fire federal workers, he called the furloughs “Democrat layoffs.” “I call them Democrat layoffs. They’re Democrat layoffs. They’re causing it. We’re ready to go back, you know,” Trump told reporters before boarding Marine One.
He touted the state of the nation’s economy, adding, “We have a record-setting economy. We have a record-setting country. Prices are way down. We’re doing better than the country has ever done, and the Democrats hate seeing that. It’s up to them. Anybody laid off, that’s because of the Democrats.”
.@PressSec on the Democrat Shutdown: If Democrats do not vote to open the government tonight, federal workers will not receive their next full paycheck, the special nutrition program for women and infants will run out of money, and service members will miss their next paycheck. pic.twitter.com/jwJs7AzUY5
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) October 6, 2025
When pressed on which departments had already begun dismissing staff, Leavitt clarified that Trump was referring to “the hundreds of thousands of federal workers who have been furloughed as a result of this federal government shutdown.”
The Office of Management and Budget is working with government agencies to determine which positions may be eliminated if the shutdown continues. Leavitt said the situation is fluid and decisions will depend on the outcome of Monday night’s vote. “We’ll see how the vote goes tonight,” she remarked.
“We hope that the vote will not fail, because this administration wants to reopen the government. We don’t want to see people laid off. But unfortunately, if this shutdown continues, layoffs are going to be an unfortunate consequence of that.”
The impasse over funding shows little sign of easing. Republicans insist their plan is the quickest route to restoring paychecks and services. Democrats, holding the line on health care provisions, argue that the GOP bill ignores critical priorities.
For federal workers caught in the middle, Monday night’s vote could determine whether they receive a paycheck or join the ranks of those already furloughed.
