The White House still employs 45 staffers for Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency despite the Tesla Inc. CEO’s departure in May — and they’re exempt from being furloughed during the government shutdown.

The White House is halting $18 billion in New York infrastructure funding due to concerns over diversity and inclusion practices and as the first day of a federal shutdown grinds government work to a halt.

White House Budget Director Russell Vought is planning to swiftly dismiss federal workers, a sign that Republicans will lean into hardball tactics to pressure Democrats to cave to end a government shutdown.

The US government is shutting down, with agencies activating contingency plans that sideline hundreds of thousands of federal workers and halt a wide range of services.

As Washington careened toward a government shutdown on Tuesday, the Trump administration used federal websites and employee email lists to spread a simple, but unusual message: Blame the Democrats.