By Liam Buckler

Copyright mirror

Donald Trump is going to dig his heels in over the “authoritarian” US government shutdown, experts have warned. Since the shutdown, which began on Wednesday, the US president has pledged mass redundancies of federal workers after Republicans and Democrats in Congress failed to reach agreement on fresh spending proposals before the midnight deadline. Instead of furloughing 750,000 workers, which typically occurs during shutdowns, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said dismissals were “imminent”. Vice-President JD Vance made a rare joint appearance with Leavitt and blamed the Democrats for engaging in political gamesmanship. “If they are so worried about the effect this is having on the American people, and they should be, what they should do is reopen the government, not complain about how we respond,” he said. This is anticipated to trigger widespread chaos for Americans throughout October, impacting everything from air travel to park visits. While most Department of Homeland Security staff would remain on duty, approximately 14,000 employees are expected to be furloughed. “The longer this goes on, the more pain will be inflicted,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, “because it is inevitable when the government shuts down.” Professor Natasha Lindstaedt, from the University of Essex, doesn’t believe Trump will “cave” and reckons he can pin the blame on the Democrats for the shutdown. She exclusively revealed to The Mirror : “The government is shutting down because there is no more compromise in US politics – Republicans want the Democrats to support a continuation resolution without any healthcare protections. Healthcare is a major issue for the Democrats, and one where they have more support from the public compared to Republicans. “They believe that 14 million people could lose their health care access, and another 24 million will see their premiums rise by 75%. Democrats caved during the last threat of a shutdown in March, and the progressive wing of the party felt it did not do them any favours. “The previous shutdown in 2018-19 lasted 35 days, the longest in US history, and saw Trump backing down over building the border wall. He’s unlikely to back down this time, as he believes he can pin the blame on the Democrats. Since 1980, there have been 15 shutdowns, so it’s an unusual feature of US politics but one that is more likely to occur given how polarised US politics has become.” With Congress at a standstill, the Trump administration has seized new levers to shape the federal government. Professor Lindstaedt suggests Trump’s willingness to shut down the US government is evidence of his increasing “authoritarian” tendencies. She further commented: ” Donald Trump had a shutdown before, but his style of politics is to threaten and not negotiate. If he doesn’t cave this time, this is definitely a sign of how much more authoritarian he has become.”