House Speaker Mike Johnson dodged repeated questions about whether he supports President Donald Trump’s threat to fire furloughed federal workers as the government shutdown rumbles on.
In an interview with NBC News’ Tom Llamas for Top Story, Johnson sidestepped when asked if he backed Trump’s plan to permanently cut parts of the federal workforce.
Trump has warned that “a lot of those jobs will never come back” if the shutdown continues, but the Louisiana Republican insisted he had not spoken with the president about any job cuts.
“I support—look, we’re limited-government conservatives, and there is too much inefficiency in the federal government. It’s too large. It does too many things,” Johnson said.
He then added, “There are programs that probably should be eliminated, but we want federal employees to be protected.”
Pivoting away from Trump’s threat, Johnson instead emphasized that furloughed workers will be paid once the shutdown ends. “I think that’s what’s going to happen here. The president doesn’t want a single American employee to be harmed,” he said.
Trump, however, told his Cabinet to expect job losses. “We’ll be making cuts that will be permanent,” he said. “And we’re only going to cut Democrat programs, I hate to tell you. I guess that makes sense, but we’re only cutting Democrat programs.”
Pressed again by NBC News on which federal employees could be targeted for termination, Johnson said, “I don’t know,” and confirmed that he had not discussed the details with Trump.
The exchange came as the Senate once again failed to advance a stopgap funding bill, the seventh failed vote since the shutdown began on Oct. 1. The impasse has left hundreds of thousands of federal employees either furloughed or working without pay.
Llamas also questioned Johnson about a Wall Street Journal report that Senate Majority Leader John Thune has urged the White House not to initiate mass layoffs or make deep cuts to assistance programs during the shutdown.
Asked whether he agreed with Thune’s warning, Johnson replied that the two had not discussed it.
Meanwhile, NBC News reported that Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought told House Republicans on the first day of the shutdown that the administration would begin firing federal employees within “one to two” days, according to two GOP sources briefed on the call.
It comes after Johnson was battered during a live call-in appearance on C-SPAN on Thursday. The Louisiana Republican looked visibly tense as caller after caller unloaded on him during the rare televised segment on the Washington Journal.
The most searing exchange came from “Samantha,” a self-described Republican military mother calling from Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Fighting back tears, she accused Johnson of failing troops and their families as a missed paycheck deadline loomed.
“I’m begging you to pass this legislation,” she said. “My kids could die.”
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