Trump to review federal aid that can be cut from Portland
Donald Trump has directed his team at the White House to begin reviewing aid that can potentially be cut in Portland, Oregon, Leavitt says.
“We will not fund states that allow anarchy,” Leavitt says. “There will also be an additional surge of federal resources to Portland immediately.”
Key events
Senate voting on Democrats’ stopgap measure
The Senate is voting now on the Democrats’ stopgap funding measure, which needs 60 votes to pass. It’s expected to fail.
White House says it takes Danish reports of Russian naval provocations ‘very seriously’
Leavitt is asked about reports of Russian naval provocations after Denmark’s intelligence service earlier said Russian warships were taking repeated action in its straits connecting the Baltic Sea to the North Sea.
“It’s something the administration takes very seriously, and we are constantly monitoring it,” she says. “The National Security Council here at the White House is in constant correspondence with our Nato allies, and the president speaks to many of them as well.”
Leavitt is asked to address the dichotomy between the White House describing mass layoffs as an “unfortunate consequence” of the shutdown and Trump hailing it as “an unprecedented opportunity” to lay off additional workers.
Leavitt says “the president likes to have fun every now and then and I think both things can be true at the same time”.
She repeats that “nobody wants to do that” but they have to take “tough decisions”.
Leavitt is asked if Donald Trump was still speaking directly to Senate Democrats to reach an agreement to end the shutdown.
She dodges the question somewhat, saying only that Senate Republicans are speaking directly to moderate Democrats to build enough support for the Republican federal funding plan.
Leavitt is asked if the cuts to energy and infrastructure projects that have already been announced by White House budget chief Russell Vought would be restored if an agreement is reached to end the shutdown.
She says: “Russ Vought is doing what he’s been tasked to do in the midst this government shutdown which is to look at funds that need to be temporarily halted or cancelled, and Chicago is just another example of that.”
Hamas ‘must accept’ Trump’s Gaza proposal or face ‘very grave’ consequences, says White House
The consequences will be “unfortunately very tragic” should Hamas fail to accept Trump’s peace proposal for Gaza, Leavitt says.
Hamas “must accept or the consequences are going to be very grave for them”, she adds, reiterating the deadline of 6pm ET on Sunday he has given them to respond.
Leavitt doesn’t address findings that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, saying only that Trump “has deep concerns about all of the atrocities that have taken place in the Middle East over the last few years”.
Leavitt declines to comment on Bad Bunny being chosen to do the Superbowl halftime show and says “there’s no tangible plan in store … right now” for Ice agents to be there.
Asked if Project 2025 – which Trump distanced himself from during his election campaign but evoked yesterday – is the blueprint for shrinking the government, Leavitt says the blueprint is what the president and his team identify.
White House says Democrats have given Trump administration opportunity for layoffs
Asked if the “thousands” of layoffs would still be on the table if the government shutdown came to an end and funding was restored, Leavitt gives a vague answer about cuts and layoffs being “an unfortunate consequence” of the shutdown.
She adds
The Democrats have given the administration this opportunity, and we don’t like laying people off. Nobody wants to do that, but sometimes in government you have to make tough decisions.
Leavitt is asked what constitutes being a “Democrat agency” (using the language used by Trump in his social media post yesterday announcing that cuts such agencies were coming).
Leavitt says the administration has been clear about agencies and programs that do not align with its values “of putting our country first”. She cites cuts to USAID to illustrate this.
Trump to review federal aid that can be cut from Portland
Donald Trump has directed his team at the White House to begin reviewing aid that can potentially be cut in Portland, Oregon, Leavitt says.
“We will not fund states that allow anarchy,” Leavitt says. “There will also be an additional surge of federal resources to Portland immediately.”
