White House Turns To Tariff Revenue To Keep WIC Funding Flowing
The food aid program for mothers and young children was set to run dry soon. It's not clear whether the Trump administration has the authority to redirect funds without Congress. Plus, the United Network for Organ Sharing has had to limit activities because of the government shutdown.
The Hill:
White House To Use Tariff Revenue For WIC Program
The White House said Tuesday it will use money from tariff revenue to fund a supplemental nutrition program facing a funding shortage amid the ongoing government shutdown. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on the social platform X that President Trump and the White House had identified the “creative solution” to shift tariff funds to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, commonly known as WIC, which was set to run out of money in the coming days. (Samuels, 10/7)
Axios:
Exclusive: Organ Transplant Network Oversight Stalled Due To Shutdown
The Health and Human Services Department last week ordered the federal organ procurement and transplant network to halt many operations until the government shutdown is over, Axios has learned. Patients will still be able to receive and donate organs, but many compliance and policy development activities will stop for the remainder of the shutdown, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing. (Goldman, 10/8)
The New York Times:
Mass Layoffs Trump Is Threatening In Shutdown Fight May Be Illegal
Throughout the government shutdown, President Trump and his top aides have repeatedly threatened to conduct another round of mass federal layoffs, insisting at times that they may have to shed workers to keep essential services from closing down. But the firings now under consideration may be unlawful or unnecessary, according to a wide range of budget experts, legal scholars and union officials. They say that the White House is only looking to exploit the fiscal stalemate to further its political agenda, shrink the government and punish Democrats. (Romm, 10/7)
Related updates from Capitol Hill —
Fox News:
Senate Republicans Confirm More Than 100 Trump Nominees As Government Shutdown Continues
Senate Republicans confirmed a staggering tranche of President Donald Trump’s nominees on Tuesday as the government shutdown continues. Lawmakers voted along party lines to confirm the batch of 107 of Trump’s nominees, a move that whittled down the remaining pending nominees on the Senate’s calendar to double digits. It also came as the upper chamber was deadlocked in the midst of a government shutdown, during which floor votes have largely been dedicated to trying to reopen the government. (Miller, 10/7)
CNBC:
Republicans Face Pressure On Democrats' Health Care Demands
Sen. Susan Collins is reportedly shopping around a potential off-ramp to the government shutdown that has paralyzed Washington, but the Maine Republican is not ready to give in on the primary demand by her Democratic colleagues. Collins has been circulating a “discussion draft” of a proposal that would include GOP pledges on a deal related to enhanced Obamacare tax credits, Punchbowl News reported. (Doherty, 10/7)
The Hill:
Greene Doubles Down On Remarks About Affordable Care Act Subsidies
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) doubled down on recent remarks about Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies amid a government shutdown battle centered around health care. “The issues of the subsidies are real. It’s not something that anybody can say is made up,” Greene told NewsNation’s Blake Burman on “The Hill. “Also, people with regular or private plans, their premiums are looking to go up a median of 18 percent, that’s brutal. I know a lot of small business owners, like a family of four, and they’re paying $2,000 a month.” (Suter, 10/7)
NPR:
Democrats Take Legal Aim At 'the Radical Left' Language During Shutdown
There are brewing legal fights against the Trump administration for language it's posting on federal websites and in government emails blaming the Democrats for the government shutdown. (Siegler, 10/7)
