Washington, United States – US President Donald Trump said on Thursday evening that if the government shutdown that began on Wednesday continues, federal employees may be fired and a number of projects cancelled.
Meanwhile, Trump proposed cashing discount checks to citizens funded by tariff revenues.
The US President blamed the Democratic Party for the possible dismissals.
He added: “We can cancel the projects they want, their favorite projects, and we will cancel them permanently.. “I have the power to cancel things that shouldn’t have been approved in the first place, maybe I will.”
The federal government closed some of its activities on Wednesday as Congress was unable to reach a funding agreement, and only basic services continued.
Trump said revenue from the new tariffs was just beginning to emerge.
He added that it could eventually reach one trillion dollars annually.
Trump indicated that some of the money would help pay off government debts, which he said could reach $38 trillion.
Use of customs duty revenues
Trump’s estimates of tariff revenues far exceed those of Treasury Secretary Scott Besant, who said last month that Trump’s tariff revenues could reach $500 billion annually.
Treasury Department data shows that the federal government’s debt amounts to $37.64 trillion.
The Republican president revealed that his administration is considering using tariff revenues to issue discount checks to Americans.
“We might distribute it to the people, like distributing profits to the American people,” he added in the interview. We are thinking of an amount between $1,000 and $2,000. That would be great.”
