Government Shutdown Begins, Impact Of Shutdown, Trump Hegseth Military Meeting

Summary

NPR Up First – Episode Summary

Title: Government Shutdown Begins, Impact Of Shutdown, Trump Hegseth Military Meeting
Date: October 1, 2025
Hosts: Layla Fadel, Emmy Martinez
Featured Reporters/Guests: Claudia Grisales (Congressional Correspondent), Andrea Hsu (Labor and Federal Workforce Correspondent), Tom Bowman (Pentagon Correspondent)

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Episode Overview

This episode of NPR’s Up First provides urgent reporting and analysis on three major developments:

• The commencement of a U.S. government shutdown and its immediate consequences.
• How federal employees and unions are responding to unprecedented threats of mass layoffs.
• President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s meeting with military leadership, unveiling controversial shifts in defense priorities and the potential domestic use of the U.S. military.

The hosts emphasize NPR's resolve to continue public-interest journalism despite the loss of federal funding.

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1. NPR’s First Day Without Federal Funding

Timestamps: 00:00 – 01:03

• Opening Note: The episode begins with Emmy Martinez and Layla Fadel marking NPR’s first broadcast in more than 50 years without federal funding due to the shutdown.
  • Layla Fadel: "We will not easily be silenced. ... We’re powered by you, the public, and we're accountable to you." [00:09]
• Both hosts underscore NPR’s commitment to truth and its reliance on public support.

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2. The Government Shutdown: Causes and Political Dynamics

Timestamps: 03:06 – 06:13

Congressional Stalemate

• Context: The government shut down at midnight over a partisan standoff.
• This is the first shutdown since 2019’s 35-day closure, but key differences now include President Trump’s threats of permanent firings rather than just temporary furloughs.
  • Pete Hegseth: "We can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible." [01:14]
• The Trump administration is using federal communications platforms to blame Democrats; some experts say this may violate the Hatch Act.

How Did We Get Here?

• Claudia Grisales explains that a deep partisan divide, unprecedented in recent memory, led to this result.
  • Claudia Grisales: "What you're seeing is a culmination of bitter, extreme partisan divide hitting rock bottom in Washington." [04:02]
• Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer blames Republicans:
  • Chuck Schumer: "Republicans are plunging America into a shutdown." [04:19]
• Both GOP and Democratic proposals to keep the government open failed; Republicans are pushing for passage of their “clean,” nonpartisan funding bill, trying to pressure a handful of Democrats to switch sides.
  • John Thune (R): "Democrats may have chosen to shut down the government tonight, but we can reopen it tomorrow. All it takes is a handful of Democrats to join Republicans to pass the clean nonpartisan funding bill that's in front of us." [05:28]

Key Insight:
The immediate future likely holds another Senate vote, ongoing blame games, and continued uncertainty for federal workers and the American public.

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3. Shutdown Impacts: Federal Workers and Public Services

Timestamps: 06:15 – 09:51

What’s Still Working?

• Andrea Hsu outlines essential services:
  • Mail delivery, Social Security checks, and TSA airport security continue.
  • Border Patrol and ICE remain on post per Trump admin orders.
• Most other federal employees are furloughed—without pay. Even “essential” workers must work unpaid.

Threats of Mass Layoffs

• Unprecedented Threat: The Trump administration might use the shutdown to issue mass Reduction in Force (RIF) notices, meaning permanent layoffs—not just temporary furloughs—departing from past shutdown norms.

  • Andrea Hsu: "There have been threats from the White House that many federal workers could be outright fired during this shutdown." [07:38]

• Union and Legal Response:

  • Unions have filed lawsuits, labeling White House layoff threats an "unlawful abuse of power" and political coercion.
  • Some agencies are allegedly preparing RIFs, but true mass firings would require complex procedures, including 60-day notice periods.

• On the Ground:

  • Jenna Norton, scientist at the NIH: "As a federal worker, I am here to tell you that every awful thing that would happen in a shutdown...is already happening." [09:01]
  • Lower courts have attempted to pause some Trump administration moves to dismantle agencies, but the Supreme Court has in several cases allowed them to continue.

• How Will Layoffs Be Noticed?

  • Agencies are supposed to notify unions and states of mass layoffs, but the administration hasn’t consistently followed these rules in the past.

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4. Trump/Hegseth Military Meeting: Shifting Doctrine and Domestic Use

Timestamps: 10:01 – 13:33

Trump’s New Directive

• President Trump told top military commanders he will use the U.S. military against the “enemy within,” referencing Democratic-run cities with allegedly high crime rates.

• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, at a rare meeting in Quantico, declared the Pentagon’s new exclusive focus is war-fighting.

  • Hegseth: “We can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible.” [01:14, repeated contextually in this section]
  • Hegseth: "If women can make it, excellent. If not, it is what it is. If that means no women qualify for some combat jobs, so be it." [11:15]

Military Standards and 'Woke' Culture

• Hegseth announced the elimination of previous diversity initiatives:

  • Higher, male-standard physical fitness requirements for all combat jobs (armor, artillery, infantry), potentially excluding over 20% of women in those roles.
  • Explicitly acknowledges that resulting gender disparities aren’t a concern: "That is not the intent, but it could be the result, so be it." [11:15]

• Hegseth characterizes previous Pentagon efforts as a “Department of Woke,” now refocused as a “Department of War.”

  • He claims some leaders were promoted primarily for their race or gender, citing the firing of Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. C.Q. Brown as evidence.

Domestic Military Use

• Trump suggested using “dangerous” American cities as training grounds for the military.

  • Tom Bowman notes: NPR data shows crime is falling in many of these cities, contradicting administration rhetoric.

  • Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), top Armed Services Democrat, denounced the idea: "Treating our own communities as war zones and our own citizens as enemies." [12:36]

• Pentagon Correspondent Tom Bowman contextualizes:

  • Women have repeatedly proved their combat merit (150+ have passed Army Ranger training at the same standards as men).

  • Hegseth himself lacks such combat credentials.

  • Tom Bowman: "People I spend time with in combat zones, they say we've always had a warrior ethos... Hegseth has neither a valor medal nor a Ranger tab." [13:11]

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5. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Layla Fadel, on NPR’s continued commitment:
  "We're not going anywhere because we're powered by you, the public, and we're accountable to you, the public." [00:09]

• Trump Administration Threat:
  Pete Hegseth: "We can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible." [01:14]

• Federal Employee's Experience:
  Jenna Norton: "As a federal worker, I am here to tell you that every awful thing that would happen in a shutdown...is already happening." [09:01]

• Defense Secretary Hegseth’s stance on women in combat roles:
  "If women can make it, excellent. If not, it is what it is. If that means no women qualify for some combat jobs, so be it." [11:15]

• Senator Jack Reed criticizing Trump’s proposal for domestic military use:
  "[It's] dangerous... treating our own communities as war zones and our own citizens as enemies." [12:36]

• Tom Bowman (on the "woke military" critique):
  "People I spend time with in combat zones, they say we've always had a warrior ethos... Hegseth has neither a valor medal nor a Ranger tab." [13:11]

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6. Key Takeaways for Listeners

• The government shutdown marks a new, more draconian phase in U.S. political history, with not just furloughs but possible permanent layoffs of federal staff.
• Federal agencies and essential services are scaling down, while the Trump administration uses the shutdown as both a political and employment weapon.
• President Trump and Defense Secretary Hegseth are pushing a new military doctrine focused on war-fighting and stripping out diversity and inclusion efforts, and controversially propose using U.S. troops in American cities.
• Both federal employees and public service unions are fighting back through lawsuits and public testimony, highlighting the unprecedented impact on the federal workforce.

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For further information or daily updates, visit NPR's website or subscribe to Up First.

Transcript

[Emmy Martinez]

All right, so today is the first day in the entire history of NPR, more than 50 years, that we are broadcasting, reporting, and fulfilling our public mission without federal funding.

[Layla Falden]

Here's what I know. We will not easily be silenced. We will continue to be advocates for the truth, for facts. We will ask the questions our listeners, the American public, want the answers to, even if those we're asking don't like our questions. With your support, my co hosts and I will be here every morning to do this show. And our journalists around this country and the world will keep you informed. We're not going anywhere because we're powered by you, the public, and we're accountable to you, the public. Thank you for always supporting this vital work.

[Emmy Martinez]

So, Layla, I don't know if you're gonna be surprised by this, but I used to be a pretty one dimensional kind of guy. All I cared about was sports and nothing else until public radio, public radio really changed my world. It opened up a curiosity that I didn't know I had. And I think I became a better person. And it's because people support public radio, support the things we do here at npr. So thank you to everyone that supports us and will keep supporting us in the future.

[Layla Falden]

I just want to f. I don't believe you were ever one dimensional. A government shutdown is underway and President Trump is threatening Democrats if they don't get in line.

[Pete Hegseth]

We can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible.

[Emmy Martinez]

Is there a way out of this standoff?

[Layla Falden]

I'm Layla Falden. That's a Martinez. And this is up first from NPR News. The impacts of the shutdown are already being felt by more than 2 million federal employees.

[Jenna Norton]

As a federal worker, I am here to tell you that every awful thing that would happen in a shutdown is already happening.

[Layla Falden]

How are workers and their unions responding to the threats of mass layoffs amid this shutdown aimed at pressuring Democrats?

[Emmy Martinez]

And President Trump says he'll use American cities as a, quote, training ground for the US Military to deal with what he calls enemies within. Stay with us. We've got all the news you need to start your day.

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[Emmy Martinez]

Code NPR the government shutdown has begun. Federal agencies ran out of funding at midnight amid a political standoff.

[Layla Falden]

Yeah, this marks the first shutdown since 2019 when the government was closed for a record 35 days during Trump's first term. Now, President Trump has threatened mass firings, not just furloughs for for federal workers.

[Pete Hegseth]

We can cut large numbers of people out. We don't want to do that, but we don't want fraud, waste and abuse.

[Layla Falden]

The administration has used government websites and agency wide emails to blame Democrats for the shutdown. Some ethics experts say that goes too far and could violate the Hatch act, which is meant to keep politics out of government work.

[Emmy Martinez]

NPR congressional correspondent Claudia Grisales is following all this. So Claudia, I mean this, this Congress, Republican led Congress seemingly has been on a collision course for shut down most of the year. And you've seen a lot of last minute saves on Capitol Hill before. How do we get here?

[Claudia Grisales]

Right. Good morning. A what you're seeing is a culmination of bitter, extreme partisan divide hitting rock bottom in Washington. Democratic votes are needed to pass a stopgap measure in the Senate. And now they're pushing back, blaming Republicans. Here's Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

[Chuck Schumer]

Republicans are plunging America into a shutdown.

[Sponsor Voice]

Rejecting bipartisan talks, pushing a partisan bill.

[Chuck Schumer]

And risking America's health care.

[Claudia Grisales]

Worst of all, last night, competing GOP and Democratic bills in the Senate to keep the government open both failed.

[Emmy Martinez]

Yeah, but they're making a political calculation too. Right, because Democrats have been challenged from both their base and rank and file members to do more this year.

[Claudia Grisales]

Right. Earlier this year, Senate Democrats like Schumer helped Republicans keep the government funded. But that drew sharp backlash. And since that time, their lack of power in Washington has become even, even more stark. President Trump and Republicans passed a massive partisan spending and tax plan, dismantled government agencies, laid off workers and slashed public services by clawing back billions in spending. Now Democrats are asking for an extension of Affordable Care act subsidies that are set to expire at the end of the year.

[Emmy Martinez]

And where do Republicans stand on that?

[Claudia Grisales]

Well, most are pretty dug in the Republican led House remains on recess since last week. And Senate Majority Leader John Thune is busy blaming Democrats, but at the same time he's hopeful more will join them.

[Chuck Schumer]

Democrats may have chosen to shut down the government tonight, but we can reopen it tomorrow. All it takes is a handful of Democrats to join Republicans to pass the clean nonpartisan funding bill that's in front of us.

[Emmy Martinez]

All right, so what happens now?

[Claudia Grisales]

So we're going to see this blame game and spin continue and the Senate's going to vote again. A few Democrats did break last night to join. Republicans are hoping to build on that, but but the GOP could blink. Instead, they could hold bipartisan talks to reach a deal, but that seems out of reach. What we do know is that hundreds of thousands of federal workers are now furloughed. And as that scenario deteriorates, it will ramp up pressure on the president and Congress to find a way out.

[Emmy Martinez]

All right, that's NPR's Claudia Grisales. Thanks a lot.

[Claudia Grisales]

Thank you.

[Emmy Martinez]

All right, beyond the politics, the shutdown is already having real world consequences.

[Layla Falden]

Yeah. For more than 2 million federal workers, it's creating uncertainty. Some are being told they might might not get their jobs back at all.

[Emmy Martinez]

For more, we're joined by NPR's Andrea Hsu. So first off, what does the shutdown mean for the services people get from the government?

[Jenna Norton]

Yeah.

[Andrea Hsu]

Well, even during a shutdown, some things do carry on. For example, your mail will still be delivered. Retirees will still get their Social Security checks. And if you go to the airport, you'll still see the TSA officers at the security checkpoints. And the Trump administration has made clear Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers will remain on the job. But many, many more federal employees not be working. A Typically, people are given up to half a day to close down their computers and do whatever else needs to be done for an orderly shutdown.

[Emmy Martinez]

And they're not getting paid.

[Andrea Hsu]

That's right. And even most essential workers who are working won't be paid during the shutdown. This became a problem the last time in late 2018, early 2019, when the government was shut down for those 35 days. After a while, you had TSA officers calling out sick because, you know, a some people just can't go that long without a paycheck. Now, Congress did pass a law in 2019 mandating that federal employees get back pay once a shutdown is over. But this time, as you said, there have been threats from the White House that many federal workers could be outright fired during this shutdown. Yeah.

[Emmy Martinez]

Tell us more about that.

[Claudia Grisales]

Yeah.

[Andrea Hsu]

Well, last week the White House Office of Management and Budget told federal agencies they should consider issuing reduction in force, or RIF notices to employees who are working on things that aren't consistent with the president's priorities, meaning they would not be brought back when the government reopens. But even if some agencies opt to do this, it doesn't mean people are going to be fired today or tomorrow necessarily. There are really complicated procedures for conducting rifts. Federal statute requires that the government workers be given 60 days notice, for one thing. The White House has said that the staff handling rifts are allowed to work through the shutdown. So it's possible we could see some notices go out.

[Emmy Martinez]

Now, what are you hearing from federal employees about, you know, possibly being fired and then not brought back to work?

[Andrea Hsu]

Yeah. Well, yesterday unions representing federal employees filed a lawsuit over this. They called the threats of mass layoffs during the shutdown an unlawful abuse of power by the Trump administration. They said it was aimed at punishing workers and pressuring Democrats in Congress to essentially cave. The White House did not respond to our request for comment about this lawsuit. Meanwhile, you have some federal employees saying this threat of being laid off at any moment, that this is nothing new. Jenna Norton, a scientist with the National Institutes of Health, talked about this at a press conference on Monday. She was among several feds who spoke in their personal capacity. And here's what she said.

[Jenna Norton]

As a federal worker, I am here to tell you that every awful thing that would happen in a shutdown shuttering program, that Americans rely on damaging our economy, firing federal workers, all of this is already happening.

[Andrea Hsu]

And a there have been numerous lawsuits challenging all those things, you know, firings, dismantling of programs and whole agencies. And while lower courts have temporarily paused many of those actions, the Supreme Court has in multiple instances allowed the Trump administration to move forward, at least for now.

[Emmy Martinez]

How will we know if there are indeed mass firings?

[Andrea Hsu]

Well, I suspect we'd hear from employees themselves. But also federal agencies are required to notify labor unions and states ahead of mass layoffs. The Trump administration has not always followed these rules, but they might do so this time.

[Emmy Martinez]

All right, that's NPR's Andrea Hsu. Thanks a lot, Andrea.

[Andrea Hsu]

You're welcome.

[Emmy Martinez]

President Trump told his top military commanders that the US Military would be used against what he calls the enemy within, pointing to Democratic run cities that he has long said have high crime rates.

[Layla Falden]

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also spoke at the unusual gathering in Quantico, Virginia, and he reiterated to the Generals that the purpose of the department would exclusively be, quote, war fighting.

[Emmy Martinez]

Joining us now to talk about all this is NPR Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman. Tom, before we get to the president, what stood out to you about Hegseth's remarks?

[Tom Bowman]

Well, you know what he said about toughening physical fitness standards for those in combat jobs. So we're talking armor, artillery and infantry. You know, he said he wants both men and women to achieve, quote, the highest male standard and such things as lifting weights, carrying an ammo box, running. So in general, more weight, more pull ups, faster times. Now, There were some 600 female Marines in those jobs in the Army, 3,000 or 4,000 women in combat positions. And I'm told you could lose more than 20% of those women in those jobs if they have to meet the highest male standard. Now, Hegset said that wasn't the goal. Let's listen.

[Pete Hegseth]

If women can make it, excellent. If not, it is what it is. If that means no women qualify for some combat jobs, so be it. That is not the intent, but it could be the result, so be it.

[Tom Bowman]

Hegseth also said it may mean weak men don't qualify.

[Emmy Martinez]

All right, so Hegseth has long criticized what he calls the Pentagon's woke culture. What did he have to say about it yesterday?

[Andrea Hsu]

Right.

[Tom Bowman]

He said the Pentagon was the Department of Woke and now it's the Department of War. He said he's ending the war on warriors and and saying that some were promoted for their race or gender. Of course, he fired the joint chiefs chairman, General C.Q. brown, the second African American to hold that job, indicating that he got the job not on merit, even though Brown was a key figure in the defeat of the Islamic State. You know, Hegseth also thinks overall the military has not been tough enough. Too many lawyers second guessing troops on rules of engagement in war or bullying or hazing of troops. He also wants drill sergeants to be much more tough on recruits.

[Emmy Martinez]

You know, the president has defended the use of U.S. troops in American cities. He specifically mentioned Democratic cities, Democratic led cities such as Chicago, describing it as overrun with crime. NPR reporting, though, shows that crime is falling there and also in many other cities. So what exactly did he say about the use of the military domestically?

[Tom Bowman]

Well, Trump said the US should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military, saying most Democrat run cities have crime rates. As you mentioned, the crime rates have been dropping. Now, Trump's comments were denounced by Senator Jack Reid of Rhode island, top Democrat in armed services and an army veteran. He called it dangerous. He said, treating our own communities as war zones and our own citizens as enemies.

[Emmy Martinez]

Tom, you've spent some two decades embedding with US Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. What's your reaction to Trump and Hegseth talking about a quote, woke military?

[Tom Bowman]

Well, it's kind of a caricature. People I spend time with in combat zones, they say we've always had a warrior ethos. And it's important to note a that women have received medals for valor, and more than 150 women pass the grueling Army Ranger course at the same standards as men. Hegseth has neither a valor medal nor a Ranger tab. All right.

[Emmy Martinez]

That's NPR's Tom Bowman. Tom, as always, thanks. You're welcome. And that's up first for Wednesday, October 1st. I'm Emmy Martinez.

[Layla Falden]

And I'm Layla Falden. Thank you for waking up with npr. Your NPR station makes up first possible each morning. Support their work and [e-mail] upfirst that support is more important than ever today, on the first day that we at NPR are no longer receiving federal funds.

[Emmy Martinez]

And today's episode of up first was edited by Kelsey Snell, Emily Kopp, Krishnadev Kalimour, Mohamed El Bardisi and Alice Wolfley was produced by Zia Butch, Nia Dumas and Lindsey Toddi. We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott. Our technical director is Carly Strange. Join us again tomorrow.

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