As lawmakers in Washington remain deadlocked on day three of the government shutdown, the Senate is expected to vote again on a funding bill today.

President Trump is calling the federal shutdown an "unprecedented opportunity' to downsize the government.

In a meeting with Budget Director Russell Vought on Thursday, Trump said the two would discuss which federal agencies should face temporary or permanent cuts.

"I'm allowed to cut things that should have never been approved in the first place and I will probably do that," Trump said. (Screengrab image: via CBN News)

The talks are happening on the heels of the president freezing about $18 billion in funding for New York City infrastructure projects and canceling another $8 billion for climate projects in 16 Democratic-leaning states.

Still, with no sign of a spending agreement, many workers' livelihoods remain at stake. The Trump administration warned it could start firing federal workers before the weekend.

In an interview on '2-way,' Politico's Rachel Bade points to workers in essential fields like TSA, air traffic control, and national parks who could all be required to show up, without pay, until the shutdown ends.

"The pressure is just going to skyrocket on Democrats right now," she explained.

A partial shutdown started Wednesday, when the fiscal year ended after a divided Congress failed to agree on a funding bill.

Republicans want to pass a short-term bill to maintain funding at existing levels until late November. But Democrats want that short-term funding to include extending Obamacare tax credits, so health insurance premiums don't go up for millions of Americans.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries argued, "Republicans have shut the government down, because they don't want to provide health care to middle-class Americans."

Democrats are showing little sign of budging from their demand for concessions on health care.

And as conservatives work on plans for reforming health care, Senate Majority Leader John Thune told Politico he's had conversations with Democrats on those Obamacare insurance subsidies. He says he's willing to discuss a negotiation, but not until the government reopens under a spending measure that's already passed the House. Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here

Michelle London joined CBN News in July 2024 as a Capitol Hill Correspondent based in Washington, DC.

To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE

Barron Trump Reportedly Saved a Woman's life after Witnessing Violent Assault on FaceTime Call

MAGA Baby Boom? Usha Vance Baby News Takes the Internet by Storm

HHS Deputy Secretary Shocked to Hear About 'Horrors' of Euthanasia Organ Donation in Canada

FCC Puts Liberal Talk Shows on Notice That It'll Enforce Candidate Guest-Equity Requirement

The President Trump at Davos That the Left Didn't Want You to See

Here Are the Details of President Trump's Greenland Deal

In Davos, Trump Hails Gaza Peace Board, Warns Hamas to Disarm or 'Be Blown Away'

First Arrests Made Following St. Paul Anti-ICE Church Attack, 'More to Come'

Survey Shows Record American Support for Public Faith Sharing

Atheist Filmmaker Abandons Unbelief for Jesus [Video]

Truce Halts Syria Fighting; Netanyahu to Join Gaza Board of Peace Despite Israeli Misgivings

Eric Schmitt: 1 Year in, President Trump Restored Law and Order and Put America First

Bill and Hillary Clinton Are in Real Trouble Now

'We Don't Want to Be Like Minneapolis,' Other Minnesota Cities Say, Supporting ICE

Shocking Undercover Video Shows Judges in Ohio Immigration Courts Can be Bribed to Keep Illegals in the US

Top Trump Officials Say 'Arrests Coming' for Anti-ICE Invasion of Church

'A Piece of Ice for World Protection': Trump Addresses if US Will Use Force in Greenland

Sarah Huckabee Sanders' Kids Make 2,000-Year-Old Archaeological Discovery in Israeli Cave

FDA Clears First At-Home Brain Device for Depression, a Non-Drug Option

Planned Parenthood's Grip on Christian Universities, and the Pushback Taking Place