(NewsNation) — President Donald Trump is set to hold a Cabinet meeting Thursday amid a government shutdown and rising tensions over the deployment of National Guard troops.
The shutdown has dragged into its second week, leaving some departments understaffed and federal workers without pay. The White House has threatened to permanently lay off workers if the shutdown continues, a departure from the typical procedure of furloughing nonessential personnel.
A law passed in 2019 makes back pay for workers automatic, but Trump suggested earlier in the week that only some might receive it and that others do not deserve it.
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Thursday’s Cabinet meeting comes as the administration also faces court battles over the deployment of National Guard troops to Chicago and Portland, Oregon.
Trump has characterized both cities as crime-ridden and rife with violence, something local leaders dispute.
The administration will be in court Thursday after Illinois sued to stop the deployment of troops, and it has already faced two court rulings against the deployment in Portland.
Despite those rulings, Trump has remained committed to using National Guard troops in Democratic-led cities and has said he could invoke the little-used Insurrection Act to justify the use of the military to fight crime.
