Hakeem Jeffries berates Trump over govt shutdown, says Republicans want to inflict pain on Americans

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said administration officials are already preparing for potential layoffs. "It's likely going to be in the thousands," Leavitt told reporters outside the White House, according to CBS News. She also said that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and other officials were actively discussing which departments could be affected.

Leavitt attributed the impasse to Democrats, accusing them of refusing to cooperate on a funding deal. "These conversations would not be happening if Democrats had voted to keep the government open," she said, reported Fox News.

She further accused Democrats of "playing politics" over disagreements on health care benefits for undocumented immigrants.