Reuters

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump&#39;s administration on Wednesday froze $26 billion for Democratic-leaning states, following through on a threat to use the government shutdown to target Democratic priorities.&nbsp;The targeted programs included $18 billion for transit projects in New York, home to Congress&#39;s top two Democrats, and $8 billion for green-energy projects in 16 Democratic-run states, including California and Illinois.&nbsp;Vice President JD Vance, meanwhile, warned that the administration might extend its purge of federal workers if the shutdown lasts more than a few days.&nbsp;The moves made clear that Trump would carry out his threat to take advantage of the shutdown to punish his political opponents and extend his control over the $7 trillion federal budget, established by the US Constitution as the domain of Congress.&nbsp;&quot;Billions of dollars can be saved,&quot; he wrote on Truth Social late on Wednesday.&nbsp;The government shutdown, the 15th since 1981, suspended scientific research, financial oversight, environmental cleanup efforts and a wide range of other activities.&nbsp;Approximately 750,000 federal workers were ordered not to work, while others, such as troops and Border Patrol agents, began working without pay. The Department of Veterans Affairs said it would provide burials at national cemeteries but would not erect headstones or mow the grass.&nbsp;Vance said at a White House briefing that the administration would be forced to resort to layoffs if the shutdown lasts more than a few days, adding to the 300,000 who will be pushed out by December. Previous shutdowns have not resulted in permanent layoffs.&nbsp;The US Patent and Trademark Office said it would lay off 1% of its 14,000 employees, according to an internal letter seen by Reuters.&nbsp;Schumer alleges shutdown &lsquo;blackmail&rsquo;Hakeem Jeffries, the top Democrat in the House of Representatives, said the funding freeze for subway and harbor projects in his home of New York would throw thousands out of work.&nbsp;Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer, also from New York, said Trump was targeting regular Americans for partisan aims.&nbsp;&quot;He is using the American people as pawns, threatening pain on the country as blackmail,&quot; Schumer said.&nbsp;Republican Senator Thom Tillis said he was concerned that the freezing of infrastructure funds for New York could make it harder for Congress to exit the shutdown.&nbsp;&quot;They need to be really careful with that, because they can create a toxic environment here,&quot; Tillis said. &quot;So hopefully they&#39;re working with the leader, and the leader with them, on not creating more work to get us out of this posture.&quot;&nbsp;Republican Senate Leader John Thune dismissed concerns that the spending freeze amounted to hostage-taking.&nbsp;&quot;Well, vote to open up the government, and that issue goes away, right? I mean, it&#39;s pretty straightforward,&quot; he said at a press conference.&nbsp;Jeffries said he had not had any contact with the White House since a meeting with Trump earlier in the week.&nbsp;&quot;We haven&#39;t heard from the White House since the White House meeting on Monday,&quot; he said in a CNN interview. &quot;Clearly, they wanted to shut the government down.&quot;&nbsp;Different day, different vote, same resultsMeanwhile, the Senate again rejected efforts to keep the government functioning as both a Republican proposal that would fund the government through November 21 and a Democratic vote that would pair funding with additional health benefits failed in floor votes.&nbsp;Trump&#39;s Republicans hold a 53-47 Senate majority, but they need the support of at least seven of Schumer&#39;s Democrats to meet the chamber&#39;s 60-vote threshold for spending bills.&nbsp;At issue on the government funding front is $1.7 trillion for agency operations, which amounts to roughly one-quarter of annual spending. Much of the remainder goes to health and retirement programs and interest payments on the growing $37.5 trillion debt.&nbsp;A bipartisan group of senators huddled on the floor during the vote, trying to find a path forward.&nbsp;&quot;I want to see that a deal is a deal, and I would like to see the Republicans make a commitment to work with us on health care,&quot; said Senator Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat who represents many federal workers near the nation&#39;s capital. &quot;But I&#39;ve never said that has to be all I&#39;s dotted and T&#39;s crossed because that could be complicated.&quot;&nbsp;Democrats are also seeking guarantees that Trump will not be able to ignore spending bills he signs into law, as he has repeatedly done since returning to office.&nbsp;Both sides sought to pin the blame on the other, looking for an advantage ahead of the 2026 midterm elections that will determine control of Congress.&nbsp;Democrats said Republicans were responsible for the disruption, as they control the levers of power in Washington.&nbsp;Republicans said Democrats were surrendering to partisan pressures to oppose Trump, even though they have routinely backed spending bills in the past. They also repeated a false claim that the Democratic proposal would extend health coverage to people who are in the country illegally.&nbsp;According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the Democratic plan would only restore coverage to certain categories of immigrants who are in the country legally, such as asylum seekers and people on work visas.&nbsp;Several government agencies posted notices on their websites blaming the &quot;radical left&quot; for the shutdown - a possible violation of a law known as the Hatch Act meant to insulate nuts-and-bolts government services from partisan politics.&nbsp;The longest US government shutdown, which stretched over 35 days in 2018-2019 during Trump&#39;s first term, ended in part after flight delays caused by air traffic controllers calling in sick.

government shutdown 2025, federal govt shutdown, US Congress

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The targeted programs include $18 billion for transit projects in New York, home to Congress's top two Democrats, and $8 billion for green-energy projects in 16 Democratic-run states, including California and Illinois.

White House freezes funds for Democratic states in shutdown slap

WASHINGTON DC: Democratic and Republican congressional leaders are heading to the White House for a meeting with the United States (US) President Donald Trump on Monday in a late effort to avoid a government shutdown, but both sides have shown hardly any willingness to budge from their entrenched positions. If government funding legislation isn&#39;t passed by Congress and signed by Trump on Tuesday night, many government offices across the nation will be temporarily shuttered and nonexempt federal employees will be furloughed, adding to the strain on workers and the nation&#39;s economy. Republicans are daring Democrats to vote against legislation that would keep government funding mostly at current levels, but Democrats have held firm. They&#39;re using one of their few points of leverage to demand Congress take up legislation to extend health care benefits. <figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/bb054db6-2bbc-491e-86b9-392bbf06c22f-President Donald Trump walks to speak with reporters after greeting supporters before departing the White House, Friday, Sept. 26, 2025, in Washington. (AP).jpg" alt="President Donald Trump walks to speak with reporters after greeting supporters before departing the White House, Friday, Sept. 26, 2025, in Washington. (AP)" class="fr-fil fr-dib"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic">President Donald Trump walks to speak with reporters after greeting supporters before departing the White House, Friday, Sept. 26, 2025, in Washington. (AP)</figcaption></figure> &ldquo;The meeting is a first step, but only a first step. We need a serious negotiation,&rdquo; Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Sunday on NBC&rsquo;s &ldquo;Meet the Press.&rdquo; Trump has shown little interest in entertaining Democrats&#39; demands on health care, even as he agreed to hold a sit-down meeting Monday with Schumer, along with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries. The Republican president has said repeatedly he fully expects the government to enter a shutdown this week. &ldquo;If it has to shut down, it&rsquo;ll have to shut down,&rdquo; Trump said Friday. &ldquo;But they&rsquo;re the ones that are shutting down government.&rdquo; The Trump administration has tried to pressure Democratic lawmakers into backing away from their demands, warning that federal employees could be permanently laid off in a funding lapse. &ldquo;Chuck Schumer said a few months ago that a government shutdown would be chaotic, harmful and painful. He&rsquo;s right, and that&#39;s why we shouldn&#39;t do it,&rdquo; Thune, a South Dakota Republican, said Sunday on &ldquo;Meet the Press.&rdquo; Still, Democrats argued Trump&#39;s agreement to hold a meeting shows he&#39;s feeling the pressure to negotiate. They say that because Republicans control the White House and Congress, Americans will mostly blame them for any government shutdown. But to hold on to their negotiating leverage, Senate Democrats will likely have to vote against a bill to temporarily extend government funding on Tuesday, just hours before a shutdown &mdash; an uncomfortable position for a party that has long denounced shutdowns as pointless and destructive. The bill has already passed the Republican-controlled House and would keep the government funded for seven more weeks while Congress works on annual spending legislation. Any legislation to fund the government will need support from at least 60 senators. That means that at least eight Democrats would have to vote for the short-term funding bill, because Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky is expected to vote against it. During the last potential government shutdown in March, Schumer and nine other Democrats voted to break a filibuster and allow a Republican-led funding bill to advance to a final vote. The New York Democrat faced fierce backlash from many in his own party for that decision, with some even calling for him to step down as Democratic leader. This time, Schumer appears resolute. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re hearing from the American people that they need help on health care and as for these massive layoffs, guess what? Simple one-sentence answer: They&rsquo;re doing it anyway,&rdquo; he said. Democrats are pushing for an extension to Affordable Care Act tax credits that have subsidized health insurance for millions of people since the COVID-19 pandemic. The credits, which are designed to expand coverage for low- and middle-income people, are set to expire at the end of the year. Some Republicans are open to extending the tax credits but want changes. Thune said Sunday that the program is &ldquo;desperately in need of reform&rdquo; and Republicans want to address &ldquo;waste, fraud and abuse.&rdquo; He has pressed Democrats to vote for the funding bill and take up the debate on tax credits later. It remains to be seen whether the White House meeting will help or hurt the chances for a resolution. Negotiations between Trump and Democratic congressional leaders have rarely gone well, and Trump has had little contact with the opposing party during his second term. The most recent negotiation in August between Schumer and the president to speed the pace of Senate confirmation votes for administration officials ended with Trump telling Schumer to &ldquo;go to hell&rdquo; in a social media post. Trump also abruptly canceled a meeting that was planned with congressional leaders last week, calling Democrats&#39; demands &ldquo;unserious and ridiculous.&rdquo; Schumer argued that the White House coming back to reschedule a meeting for Monday showed that &ldquo;they felt the heat.&rdquo;

The Capitol is seen during rainy weather just days before federal money runs out which could trigger a government shutdown, in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025. (AP)

Democratic and Republican leaders meet President Trump in a last-ditch effort to prevent a government shutdown as both sides remain deeply divided over funding and healthcare issues.

US government shutdown nears as leaders meet amid budget deadlock

WASHINGTON: The White House is telling agencies to prepare large-scale firings of federal workers if the government shuts down next week.&nbsp;In a memo released Wednesday night, the Office of Management and Budget said agencies should consider a reduction in force for federal programs whose funding would lapse next week, that are not otherwise funded and are &ldquo;not consistent with the President&#39;s priorities.&rdquo; That would be a much more aggressive step than in previous shutdowns, when federal workers not deemed essential were furloughed but returned to their jobs once Congress approved government spending.&nbsp;A reduction in force would not only result in layoffs but also eliminate their positions, triggering yet another massive upheaval in a federal workforce that has already faced major rounds of cuts this year due to efforts by the Department of Government Efficiency and elsewhere in the Trump administration.&nbsp;Once any potential government shutdown ends, agencies are asked to revise their reduction-in-force plans &ldquo;as needed to retain the minimal number of employees necessary to carry out statutory functions,&rdquo; according to the memo, which was first reported by Politico.&nbsp;This move from OMB significantly increases the consequences of a potential government shutdown next week and escalates pressure on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. The two leaders have kept nearly all of their Democratic lawmakers united against a clean funding bill pushed by President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans that would keep the federal government operating for seven more weeks, demanding immediate improvements to health care in exchange for their votes. Democrats refuse to budge In statements issued shortly after the memo was released, the two Democrats showed no signs of budging.&nbsp;&ldquo;We will not be intimidated by your threat to engage in mass firings,&rdquo; Jeffries wrote in a post on X. &ldquo;Get lost.&rdquo;&nbsp;Jeffries called Russ Vought, the head of OMB, a &ldquo;malignant political hack.&quot;&nbsp;Schumer said in a statement that the OMB memo is an &ldquo;attempt at intimidation&quot; and predicted the &ldquo;unnecessary firings will either be overturned in court, or the administration will end up hiring the workers back.&rdquo;&nbsp;OMB prepares for shutdown OMB noted that it held its first planning call with other federal agencies earlier this week to plan for a shutdown. The budget office plays point in managing federal government shutdowns, particularly planning for them ahead of time. Past budget offices have also posted shutdown contingency plans &mdash; which would outline which agency workers would stay on the job during a government shutdown and which would be furloughed &mdash; on its website, but this one has not.&nbsp;The memo noted that congressional Democrats are refusing to support a clean government funding bill &ldquo;due to their partisan demands,&rdquo; which include an extension of enhanced health insurance subsidies set to expire at the end of the year, plus a reversal of Medicaid cuts that were included in Republicans&rsquo; big tax and spending cuts law.&nbsp;&quot;As such, it has never been more important for the Administration to be prepared for a shutdown if the Democrats choose to pursue one,&quot; the memo reads, which also notes that the GOP&#39;s signature law, a major tax and border spending package, gives &ldquo;ample resources to ensure that many core Trump Administration priorities will continue uninterrupted.&rdquo;&nbsp;OMB noted that it had asked all agencies to submit their plans in case of a government shutdown by Aug. 1.&nbsp;&ldquo;OMB has received many, but not all, of your submissions,&rdquo; it added. &ldquo;Please send us your updated lapse plans ASAP.&rdquo;

Democrat leaders say they will not be "intimidated" by threats to engage in mass firings.

White House orders agencies to draft mass firing plans ahead of shutdown

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump mocked Joe Biden on Wednesday by putting a picture of a so-called &quot;autopen,&quot; instead of his likeness, in a new gallery of presidential portraits in the White House. Republican Trump has alleged, without evidence, that Biden&#39;s use of the automated technology to sign pardons and other documents was part of a cover-up of the Democrat&#39;s cognitive decline. Now he has doubled down on the allegation by putting a picture of Biden&#39;s signature and the device, in place of his portrait, in a new &quot;Walk of Fame&quot; located in the colonnade that runs along the White House Rose Garden. &quot;The Presidential Walk of Fame has arrived on the West Wing Colonnade. Wait for it...&quot; Trump&#39;s Communications Advisor Margo Martin posted on X along with a video of the new display. The camera pans along a line of black and white, gold-framed presidential portraits, hanging along the colonnade in chronological order, before it reaches the picture of the autopen representing Biden. The White House separately posted a photo of Trump himself -- whose portraits as the 45th and 47th US president are on either side of Biden&#39;s -- looking at the new addition. The Biden autopen portrait will be visible by guests attending a dinner later Wednesday in the Rose Garden, where Trump has recently replaced the grass with a patio. Trump had previewed the move in an interview with the conservative Daily Caller earlier this month, saying: &quot;We put up a picture of the autopen.&quot; The 79-year-old almost obsessively bashes his now 82-year-old predecessor, seeking to blame him for a host of ills including inflation and the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. The Biden autopen portrait is meanwhile the brashest step yet in billionaire property developer Trump&#39;s revamp of the more than 200-year-old presidential residence in Washington. Trump notably has covered the Oval Office with gold decorations, installed huge flagpoles and is now building a giant ballroom. He has also moved a painting of Democrat Barack Obama from its original position and, breaking with precedent, hung several paintings of himself in the White House.

Donald Trump mocked Joe Biden by replacing his official White House portrait with an image of an autopen signature, intensifying claims of Biden’s cognitive decline and showcasing Trump’s controversial revamp of presidential traditions.

Trump trolls Biden with White House 'autopen' portrait

Hammaad Qayyum Khan

ISLAMABAD: Since US President Donald Trump&#39;s return to office, his &ldquo;America First&rdquo; economic policies have attracted $8.7 trillion in new investment in manufacturing, technology, and infrastructure, according to the official White House <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/investments/" style="font-size: 18px; color: rgb(0, 115, 230);">website</a>.&nbsp;<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1968084910654275662&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=4a05279008b2ec2e91ca8c8bb9cd1ecbe3c80b31&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 755px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;"></iframe></div></div>The White House states that these investments are made possible by President Trump&rsquo;s leadership and are fueling job growth, innovation, and opportunity across every corner of the country.Foreign investments&nbsp;Major foreign investments include $1.4 trillion from the United Arab Emirates, focused on technology, aerospace, and energy; $1.2 trillion from Qatar, in technology and manufacturing; and $1 trillion from Japan, in auto plants and US steel, according to the White House website.&nbsp;<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1923309237771358316&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=4a05279008b2ec2e91ca8c8bb9cd1ecbe3c80b31&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 851px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="1923309237771358316"></iframe></div></div>Additional investments include $600 billion from Saudi Arabia, $500 billion from India, $450 billion from South Korea, and $600 billion from EU firms under a trade deal.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-2" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-2&features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZm9zbnJfc29mdF9pbnRlcnZlbnRpb25zX2VuYWJsZWQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X21peGVkX21lZGlhXzE1ODk3Ijp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRyZWF0bWVudCIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3Nob3dfYmlyZHdhdGNoX3Bpdm90c19lbmFibGVkIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19kdXBsaWNhdGVfc2NyaWJlc190b19zZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdXNlX3Byb2ZpbGVfaW1hZ2Vfc2hhcGVfZW5hYmxlZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdmlkZW9faGxzX2R5bmFtaWNfbWFuaWZlc3RzXzE1MDgyIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRydWVfYml0cmF0ZSIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfbGVnYWN5X3RpbWVsaW5lX3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9mcm9udGVuZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9fQ%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1922736506176725217&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=4a05279008b2ec2e91ca8c8bb9cd1ecbe3c80b31&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 851px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="1922736506176725217"></iframe></div></div>US-based companies&nbsp;US-based companies have also made significant commitments.&nbsp;Apple announced $600 billion in manufacturing and AI training; NVIDIA committed $500 billion to AI infrastructure and supercomputers; and Amazon pledged $34 billion for AI expansion in its cloud division.&nbsp;<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-3" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-3&features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZm9zbnJfc29mdF9pbnRlcnZlbnRpb25zX2VuYWJsZWQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X21peGVkX21lZGlhXzE1ODk3Ijp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRyZWF0bWVudCIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3Nob3dfYmlyZHdhdGNoX3Bpdm90c19lbmFibGVkIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19kdXBsaWNhdGVfc2NyaWJlc190b19zZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdXNlX3Byb2ZpbGVfaW1hZ2Vfc2hhcGVfZW5hYmxlZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdmlkZW9faGxzX2R5bmFtaWNfbWFuaWZlc3RzXzE1MDgyIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRydWVfYml0cmF0ZSIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfbGVnYWN5X3RpbWVsaW5lX3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9mcm9udGVuZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9fQ%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1953493903367118873&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=4a05279008b2ec2e91ca8c8bb9cd1ecbe3c80b31&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 875px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="1953493903367118873"></iframe></div></div>Other notable investments include $200 billion from Micron for semiconductor manufacturing and R&amp;D, $150 billion from IBM for growth and operations, and $100 billion from TSMC for a semiconductor fabrication facility in Arizona.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-4" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-4&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1881831115755057376&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=4a05279008b2ec2e91ca8c8bb9cd1ecbe3c80b31&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 923px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="1881831115755057376"></iframe></div></div>In the pharmaceutical and biotech sector, Johnson &amp; Johnson committed $57 billion, AstraZeneca and Genentech each announced $50 billion, and Bristol Myers Squibb pledged $40 billion. Additional investments include $27 billion from Eli Lilly, $23 billion from Novartis, and $10 billion from AbbVie.In the energy and environment sector, JERA announced $200 billion in annual US LNG purchases, Westinghouse pledged $6 billion for 10 new nuclear reactors, and FirstEnergy committed $15 billion for grid expansion and an apprenticeship program, according to the White House website.&nbsp;Reuters review&nbsp;On July 8, 2025, a report was published by Reuters regarding the Trump website&rsquo;s claim that his policies spurred $2.6 trillion in US investments. The Reuters review found that nearly half of the investments began under former President Joe Biden or reflected routine spending. Many projects were planned or incentivized before Trump took office, it said.

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Since President Trump took office, his “America First” policies, as outlined on the official White House website, have attracted $8.7 trillion in US and foreign investments across the technology, manufacturing, and energy sectors.

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