President Trump is seizing on the government shutdown as an "unprecedented opportunity" to consolidate control in the Oval Office, accelerating a trend toward unchecked power.
Why it matters: Many Democrats see the shutdown as a necessary evil to halt — or at least slow — Trump's steamrolling of democratic norms and independent institutions. So far, the standoff is only emboldening the White House.
Zoom in: Trump said he met Thursday with White House budget chief Russ Vought to discuss what "Democrat agencies" should get cuts, casting the shutdown as a chance to shrink a federal workforce Trump has long viewed as hostile.
- Goading Democrats, Trump flaunted Vought's role in Project 2025 ("he of PROJECT 2025 Fame") — the hard-right blueprint for expanding executive power that Trump disavowed on the campaign trail after it became a political liability.
- For Vought, the shutdown offers a unique opening: a live test of theories he has spent years refining on how to weaken Congress, purge the bureaucracy and concentrate power in the presidency.
Already, Vought has announced the termination of nearly $8 billion in funding for clean-energy projects in 16 states, all of which voted for Kamala Harris in 2024 and have Democratic senators.
- He also has frozen $18 billion in New York City infrastructure projects, a thinly veiled shot at Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.).
- Legal challenges are inevitable: Congress controls the power of the purse, and federal officials privately have warned that Vought's plans for mass firings during the shutdown may violate appropriations law.
The big picture: As Axios has documented, the shutdown is only one front in Trump's broader campaign of consolidation.
- Military: In an unprecedented partisan address this week, Trump told more than 800 generals and admirals to prepare for a "war" against domestic "enemies," urging them to treat America's cities as "training grounds."
- Academia: The administration is asking universities to sign a 10-point "compact" that would grant preferential access to federal funding if schools agree to freeze tuition, protect conservative speech, apply strict definitions of gender, limit international students and other Trump priorities.
- Rule of law: Days after Trump publicly pressured Attorney General Pam Bondi to charge his political enemies, the Justice Department indicted former FBI director James Comey. Other Trump foes, including New York Attorney General Letitia James and Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), are under investigation.
- Civil society: FBI director Kash Patel severed ties with the Anti-Defamation League on Thursday, accusing the Jewish civil rights group of "functioning like a terrorist organization" after MAGA activists discovered that Charlie Kirk's Turning Point USA was listed in its now-removed "Glossary of Extremism and Hate." Trump also has urged the Justice Department to investigate Democratic megadonor George Soros' Open Society Foundations as part of a crackdown on liberal groups following Kirk's assassination.
- Corporate America: Trump demanded last week that Microsoft fire its head of global affairs, Lisa Monaco, because she served in the Biden administration — a reminder that even corporate giants aren't immune from political retaliation. Trump had previously called on Intel's CEO to resign over alleged ties to China, but backed off after the U.S. government took a 10% equity stake in the chip-maker.
What they're saying: After contacting the White House press office for comment, Axios received an automated reply warning of delays "due to staff shortages resulting from the Democrat Shutdown."
- Several government websites are displaying similar notices blaming Democrats or "the radical left" for the shutdown — potentially violating rules that prohibit partisan political activity by federal agencies.
- White House deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson later told Axios in a statement: "Any lapse in funding, this one brought on by the Democrats, unfortunately requires the Administration to make tough decisions to keep mandatory government functions operational."
The bottom line: Government shutdown or not, Trump has spent his presidency methodically erasing the independence of institutions that once served as checks on executive power.
