Up First from NPR - Government Shutdown Begins, Impact Of Shutdown, Trump Hegseth Military Meeting

Episode Date: October 1, 2025

The federal government has shut down for the first time since 2019, with President Trump threatening mass layoffs and facing criticism for using government resources to blame Democrats. More than two million federal workers are bracing for uncertainty as the shutdown drags on, with some agencies warning employees they may not be brought back once it ends. And President Trump told top military commanders he wants to use troops against “enemies within” and plans to deploy National Guard forces to Democratic-led cities.Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Kelsey Snell, Emily Kopp, Krishnadev Calamur, Mohamad ElBardicy and Alice Woelfle.It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Lindsay TottyWe get engineering support from Stacey Abbott. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

All right, so today is the first day in the entire history of NPR, more than 50 years, that we are broadcasting, reporting, and fulfilling our public mission without federal funding. Here's what I know. We will not easily be silenced. We will continue to be advocates for the truth, for facts. We will ask the questions our listeners, the American public want the answers to, even if those we're asking, don't like our questions. With your support, my co-hosts and I will be here every morning to do this show, and our journalists around this country and the world will keep you. you informed. We're not going anywhere because we're powered by you, the public, and we're accountable to you, the public. Thank you for always supporting this vital work. So, Leila, I don't know if you're going to be surprised by this, but I used to be a pretty one-dimensional kind of guy. All I cared about was sports and nothing else until public radio. Public radio really changed my world. It opened up a curiosity that I didn't know I had, and I

think I became a better person. And it's because people support public radio, support the things we do here at NPR. So thank you to everyone that supports us and we'll keep supporting us in the future. I just want to fact check. I don't believe you are ever one-dimensional. A government shutdown is underway and President Trump is threatening Democrats if they don't get in line. We can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible. Is there a way out of this standoff? I'm Leila Faldon. That's A. Martinez and this is up first from NPR News. The impacts of the shutdown are already being felt by more than 2 million federal employees. As a federal worker, I am here to tell you that every awful thing that would happen in a shutdown is already happening.

How are workers and their unions responding to the threats of mass layoffs amid this shutdown aimed at pressuring Democrats? And President Trump says he'll use American cities as a, quote, training ground for the U.S. military to deal with what he calls enemies within. Stay with us. We've got all the news you need to start your day. In the U.S., national security news can feel far away from daily life. Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors. On our new show, Sources and Methods. NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories of real people,

helping you understand why distant events matter here at home. Listen to sources and methods on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts. The government shutdown has begun. Federal agencies ran out of funding at midnight amid a political standoff. Yeah, this marks the first shutdown since 2019 when the government was closed for a record 35 days during Trump's first term. Now, President Trump has threatened mass firings, not just furloughs for federal workers. We can cut large numbers of people out. We don't want to do that, but we don't want fraud, waste, and abuse. The administration has used government websites and agency-wide emails to blame Democrats for the shutdown.

Some ethics experts say that goes too far and could violate the Hatch Act, which is meant to keep politics out of government work. NPR congressional correspondent, Claudia Grisales, is following all this. So, Claudia, I mean, this Congress, Republican-led Congress seemingly has been on a collision course for a shutdown most of the year. And you've seen a lot of last minute saves on Capitol Hill before. How do we get here? Right.

Good morning, A. What you're seeing is a culmination of bitter. extreme partisan divide, hitting rock bottom in Washington. Democratic votes are needed to pass a stop gap measure in the Senate, and now they're pushing back, blaming Republicans. Here's Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Republicans are plunging America into a shutdown, rejecting bipartisan talks, pushing a partisan bill, and risking America's health care, worst of all. Last night, competing GOP and Democratic bills in the Senate to keep. the government open, both failed. Yeah, but they're making a political calculation too, right?

Because Democrats have been challenged from both their base and rank and file members to do more this year. Right. Earlier this year, Senate Democrats like Schumer helped Republicans keep the government funded, but that drew sharp backlash. And since that time, their lack of power in Washington has become even more stark. President Trump and Republicans passed a massive partisan spending in tax plan, dismantled government agencies, laid off workers and slash public services by clawing back billions in spending. Now, Democrats are asking for an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to expire at the end of the year. And where do a Republican stand on that? Well, most are pretty dug in. The Republican-led House remains on recess since last week.

And Senate Majority Leader John Thune is blaming Democrats, but at the same time, he's hopeful more will join them. Democrats may have chosen to shut down the government tonight, but we can reopen it tomorrow. All it takes is a handful of Democrats to join Republicans to pass the clean, nonpartisan funding bill that's in front of us. All right. So what happens now? So we're going to see this blame game and spin continue. And the Senate's going to vote again. A few Democrats did break last night to join Republicans. They're hoping to build on that. But the GOP could blink instead. They could hold bipartisan talks to reach a deal, but that seems out of reach. What we do know is that hundreds of thousands of

federal workers are now furloughed. And as that scenario deteriorates, it will ramp up pressure on the president in Congress to find a way out. All right, that's NPR's Claudio Grizales. Thanks a lot. Thank you. All right. Beyond the politics, the shutdown is already having real world consequences. Yeah, for more than 2 million federal workers, it's creating uncertainty. Some are being told they might not get their jobs back at all. For more, we're joined by MPR's Andrea Shue. So first off, what does the shutdown mean for the service? as people get from the government? Yeah, well, even during a shutdown, some things do carry on.

For example, your mail will still be delivered. Retirees will still get their social security checks. And if you go to the airport, you'll still see the TSA officers at the security checkpoints. And the Trump administration has made clear border patrol and immigration and customs enforcement officers will remain on the job. But many, many more federal employees will not be working A. Typically, people are given up to half a day to close down their computers and do whatever else needs to be done for an orderly shutdown. And they're not getting paid. That's right. And even most essential workers who are working won't be paid during the shutdown. This became a problem last time in late 2018, early 2019, when the government was shut down

for those 35 days after a while you had TSA officers calling out sick because, you know, A, some people just can't go that long without a paycheck. Now, Congress did pass a law in 2019 mandating that federal employees get back pay once a shutdown is over. But this time, as you said, there have been threats from the White House that many federal workers could be outright fired during this shutdown. Yeah, tell us more about that. Yeah, well, last week, the White House Office of Management and Budget told federal agencies they should consider issuing reduction in force or RIF notices to employees who are working on things that aren't consistent with the president's priorities, meaning they would not be brought back when the government reopens. But even if some agencies opt to do this, it doesn't mean people are going to be fired today or tomorrow necessarily. There are really complicated procedures for conducting rifts.

Federal statute requires that the government workers be given 60 days notice for one thing. The White House has said that the staff handling rifts are allowed to work through the shutdown, so it's possible we could see some notices go out. Now, what are you hearing from federal employees about, you know, possibly being fired and then not brought back to work? Yeah, well, yesterday unions representing federal employees filed a lawsuit over this. They called the threats of mass layoffs during the shutdown. an unlawful abuse of power by the Trump administration. They said it was aimed at punishing workers

and pressuring Democrats in Congress to essentially cave. The White House did not respond to our request for comment about this lawsuit. Meanwhile, you have some federal employees saying this threat of being laid off at any moment that this is nothing new. Jenna Norton, a scientist with the National Institutes of Health, talked about this at a press conference on Monday.

She was among several feds who spoke in their personal capacity, and here's what she said. As a federal worker, I am here to tell you that every awful thing that would happen in a shutdown, shuddering programs that Americans rely on, damaging our economy, firing federal workers, all of this is already happening. And A, there have been numerous lawsuits challenging all those things, you know, firings, dismantling programs, and whole agencies. And while lower courts have temporarily paused many of those actions, the Supreme Court

has in multiple instances allowed the Trump administration to move forward, at least for now. How will we know if there are indeed mass firings? Well, I suspect we'd hear from employees themselves, but also federal agencies are required to notify labor unions and states ahead of mass layoffs. The Trump administration has not always followed these rules, but they might do so this time. All right, that's MPR's Andrea Shue. Thanks a lot, Andrea. You're welcome. President Trump told his top military commanders that the U.S. military would be used against what he calls the enemy within, pointing to Democratic-run cities that he has long said have high crime rates. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also spoke at the unusual gathering in Quantico, Virginia, and he reiterated to the generals that the purpose of the department would exclusively be, quote, war fighting.

Join us now to talk about all this is NPR Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman. Tom, before we get to the president, what stood out to you about Hague Seth's remarks? Well, you know, what he said about toughening physical fitness standards for those in combat jobs, so we're talking armor, artillery, and infantry. You know, he said he wants both men and women to achieve, quote, the highest male standard in such things as lifting weights, carrying an ammo box running. So in general, more weight, more pull-ups, faster at times. Now, there were some 600 female Marines in those jobs in the Army, 3,000, or 14.

thousand women in combat positions. And I'm told you could lose more than 20% of those women in those jobs if they have to meet the highest male standard. Now, Heggs has said that wasn't the goal. Let's listen. If women can make it excellent. If not, it is what it is. If that means no women qualify for some combat jobs, so be it. That is not the intent, but it could be the result. So be it. HECSeth also said it may mean weak men. don't qualify. All right. So Hague Seth has long criticized what he calls the Pentagon's woke culture. What did he have to say about it yesterday? Right. He said the Pentagon was the Department of Woke and now it's the Department of War. He said he's ending the war on warriors

and saying that some were promoted for their race or gender. Of course, he fired the Joint Chiefs Chairman General CQ Brown, the second African American to hold that job, indicating that he got the job not on merit, even though Brown was a key figure in the defeat of the Islamic State. You know, Hegeseth also thinks overall the military has not been tough enough. Too many lawyers, second-guessing troops on rules of engagement in war or bullying or hazing of troops. He also wants drill sergeants to be much more tough on recruits. You know, the president has defended the use of U.S. troops in American City. He specifically mentioned Democratic cities, Democratic-led cities such as Chicago, describing it as overrun with crime.

NPR reporting, though, shows that crime is false. there and also in many other cities. So what exactly did he say about the use of the military domestically? Well, Trump said the U.S. should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military, saying mostly Democrat-run cities have crime rates. As you mentioned, the crime rates have been dropping. Now, Trump's comments were denounced by Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, a top Democrat in Armed Services and an Army veteran. He called it dangerous. he said, treating our own communities as war zones and our own citizens as enemies. Tom, you spent some two decades embedding with U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

What's your reaction to Trump and Hegsa, talking about a, quote, woke military? Well, it's kind of a caricature. People I spend time with in combat zones, they say we've always had a war at ethos. And it's important to note, A, that women have received medals for valor and more than 150 women past the grueling Army Ranger Corps at the same standards as men. Hague set has neither a valor medal nor

a Ranger tab. All right, that's NPR's Tom Bowman. Tom, as always thanks. You're welcome. And that's up first for Wednesday, October 1st. I'm M.A. Fawden. Thank you for waking up with NPR. Your NPR station makes up first possible each morning. Support their work and hours.

at donate.npr.org slash UpFirst. That support is more important than ever today on the first day that we at NPR are no longer receiving federal funds. And today's episode of Up First was edited by Kelsey Snell, Emily Kopp, Chris Nadav Kalamore, Mohamed El Bardisi, and Alice Wolfley, was produced by Ziet Bouch, Neo Dumas and Lindsay Todi. We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott. Our technical director is Carly Strange. Join us again tomorrow. Thank you.