"OMB is making every preparation to batten down the hatches and ride out the Democrats' intransigence," the White House Office of Management and Budget wrote Tuesday on X. "Pay the troops, pay law enforcement, continue the RIFs, and wait."

Shutdown-related layoffs began last Friday, with Republicans calling the RIFs 'financially prudent,' while blaming Democrats for forcing the Trump administration's hand. Last Thursday, Trump said that his administration would only cut "Democrat programs," adding "We will give them a little taste of their own medicine."

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said on Oct. 13 that he thinks the ongoing federal government shutdown might become the longest in the nation's history, and that he "won't negotiate" with Democrats until they abandon their health care demands to reopen.

Speaking to reporters at the Capitol on the shutdown's 13th day, Johnson said he wasn't aware of the details surrounding the Trump administration laying off thousands of federal workers during the lapse in funding.

Some critics, including Democrats, have cast the mass layoffs as a way for the administration to reduce the size of the federal government.

"We're barreling toward one of the longest shutdowns in American history," Johnson said.

With negotiations between Democrats and Republicans at a stalemate, the shutdown is expected to endure for the foreseeable future.

Not only have routine government operations been impacted or paused, but the Smithsonian museums and other cultural institutions have closed their doors.

American air travel has also been impacted, with the shutdown exacerbating an existing shortage of air traffic controllers, leading to delays at airports nationwide.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday that the shutdown had already begun to affect the U.S. economy but did not elaborate.

The House of Representatives is currently out of legislative session, and Johnson has thus far not called lawmakers back to Washington after the lower chamber passed the GOP-backed continuing resolution to reopen the government. The Senate will return to work Tuesday after being closed for a federal holiday on Monday.

The Senate GOP needs 60 votes on its continuing resolution, which extended government funding at the existing level before the shutdown, to reopen the government. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has pinned blame on Democrats, who have insisted on a permanent extension to certain COVID-19 era health care subsidies that are expiring this year.