Week marked by a federal shutdown, new tariffs, and escalating legal and policy battles.
Trump’s 37th week brought a federal shutdown, legal settlements, court rulings, military updates and new developments in the ongoing trade war. The federal government shut down after funding bills from both parties failed to advance in the Senate, raising implications as the Trump administration threatened mass layoffs. More than 700,000 federal employees were furloughed —not being paid. Trump later canceled funding for 16 states—all of which voted for Kamala Harris in the 2024 election—after previously threatening to revoke funding for New York City if Zohran Mamdani wins the mayoral election.
At the same time, YouTube settled a lawsuit with President Trump over the suspension of his account following the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, while a federal judge ruled the Trump administration unconstitutionally targeted noncitizens for deportation over protests supporting Palestine.
In an unprecedented meeting on Tuesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth proposed excluding women from certain combat roles, declaring that every position “returns to the highest male standard” of the military’s fitness test. Trump later suggested having the military use cities as “training grounds,” sparking controversy as previous reports from The Introspective detailed him threatening to deploy the National Guard to Portland, Chicago, Memphis and Baltimore. Meanwhile, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is considering lifting a ban on broadcast network mergers.
As backlash against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) continues, Canada issued a warning for citizens with gender-neutral passports visiting the United States, following a previous Introspective report highlighting attempts by the Trump administration to restrict passport gender markers for transgender and nonbinary people. Trump later announced a 100% tariff on foreign movies, escalating the trade war. Meanwhile, following earlier reports highlighting the president’s attempt to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, the Supreme Court allowed Cook to remain in her position until 2026.
Government Shutdown, YouTube Settlement, and Palestine Ruling
The federal government shut down Wednesday morning after funding bills from both Democrats and Republicans failed to advance in the Senate—marking the first government shutdown since 2018.
“The last thing we want to do is shut it down, but a lot of good can come down from shutdowns,” Trump said Tuesday evening, blaming Democrats.
“We can get rid of a lot of things that we didn’t want, and they’d be Democrat things.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer blamed Republicans, accusing them of refusing to negotiate.
“We want to sit down and negotiate, but the Republicans can’t do it in their partisan way, where they just say it’s our way or the highway,” he said.
Under a government shutdown, more than 700,000 federal employees—40% of the federal workforce—are placed on unpaid leave. National parks close, while agencies such as the Department of Defense (DOD), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Department of Commerce, State Department and NASA face severe impacts.
The Trump administration responded by canceling funding for 16 states that voted for Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, pulling billions in infrastructure and program funding from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont and Washington.
“Nearly $8 billion in Green New Scam funding to fuel the Left’s climate agenda is being cancelled,” Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought wrote in a post on X.
Trump previously threatened to revoke funding for New York City if mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani won the election.
“Self-proclaimed New York City Communist, Zohran Mamdani, who is running for mayor, will prove to be one of the best things to ever happen to our great Republican Party,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“He is going to have problems with Washington like no mayor in the history of our once great city. Remember, he needs the money from me, as president, in order to fulfill all of his fake communist promises. He won’t be getting any of it, so what’s the point of voting for him?”
That same day, U.S. District Judge William Young ruled the Trump administration unconstitutionally targeted noncitizens for deportation over protests supporting Palestine, a decision that comes as the genocide in Gaza continues.
“The president’s palpable misunderstanding that the government simply cannot seek retribution for speech he disdains poses a great threat to Americans’ freedom of speech,” Young wrote, criticizing the administration for using masked agents to arrest students, including Tufts University student Rumeysa Öztürk in March.
“This Court has listened carefully to the reasons given by Öztürk’s captors for masking up and has heard the same reasons advanced by the defendant, Todd Lyons, acting director of ICE. It rejects this testimony as disingenuous, squalid and dishonorable. ICE goes masked for a single reason—to terrorize Americans into quiescence. To us, masks are associated with cowardly desperados and the despised Ku Klux Klan. In all our history we have never tolerated an armed masked secret police.”
Palestine Ruling
Judge Young also addressed a threat that was sent to his office, placing both the threat and his response at the top of the ruling.
“Alone, I have nothing but my sense of duty. Together, we the people of the United States—you and me—have our magnificent Constitution,” Young wrote.
“I hope you found this helpful. Thanks for writing. It shows you care. You should.”
Meanwhile, YouTube reached a $24.5 million settlement with Trump over the suspension of his account following the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. Of that, $22 million will go toward construction of a $200 million ballroom being built at the White House.
Military and FCC
During an unprecedented military meeting Tuesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth proposed excluding women from certain combat roles, declaring that every position “returns to the highest male standard” of the military’s fitness test.
“If that means no women qualify for some combat jobs, so be it,” he said, noting that women would still be welcomed in the military.
“I don’t want my son serving alongside troops who are out of shape, or in combat units with females who can’t meet the same combat arms physical standards as men. This job is life and death. Standards must be met.”
In a press release, New Jersey Rep. Mikie Sherrill, a Navy veteran, accused Hegseth of “infecting our military with partisan, culture war ideologies” that make people “less safe.”
“Eliminating the current highly rigorous standards for women in combat positions has nothing to do with increasing lethality and everything to do with forcing women out of the Armed Forces,” she said.
“Secretary Hegseth has said he does not believe women should serve in combat. Now he is trying to make that happen by escalating his war on women in the military, despite presenting no evidence that women cannot ably serve in combat positions.”
In that same meeting, President Trump suggested the military should use American cities as “training grounds,” warning of what he described as a “war from within.”
“They’re very unsafe places, and we’re going to straighten them out one by one,” he said.
“And this is going to be a major part for some of the people in this room. That’s a war, too. It’s a war from within.”
Trump later mentioned Chicago, stating that forces would be deployed to the nation’s third-largest city “very soon.”
“That’s a big city with an incompetent governor,” Trump said, referring to Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
Meanwhile, the FCC is considering lifting a ban that prohibits the Big Four broadcast networks —NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox—from merging.
“We intend to take a fresh approach to competition by examining the broader media marketplace, rather than treating broadcast radio and television as isolated markets,” FCC Chair Brendan Carr said.
“If we determine that any rule no longer serves the public interest, we will fulfill our statutory duty to modify or eliminate those rules.”
Canada, Economy, and Trade War
As backlash to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) continues, Canada issued a warning for citizens with gender-neutral passports visiting the United States.
“While the Government of Canada recognizes the ‘X’ gender identifier, it cannot guarantee your entry or transit through other countries,” the country’s Department of Global Affairs wrote.
“You might face entry restrictions in countries that do not recognize the ‘X’ gender identifier.”
Jennifer Young, spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy, declined to comment, citing the ongoing government shutdown.
“Due to the current lapse in appropriations, we are not in a position to provide comment or schedule interviews at this time,” she wrote in an email to CBC.
At the same time, as the trade war continues, Trump announced a 100% tariff on foreign-made films.
“Our movie making business has been stolen from the United States of America, by other countries, just like stealing ‘candy from a baby,’” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“Therefore, in order to solve this longtime, never-ending problem, I will be imposing a 100% tariff on any and all movies that are made outside of the United States.”
This follows a previous report from The Introspective detailing Trump’s announcement of a 100% tariff on prescription medication, a 30% tariff on upholstered furniture, a 50% tariff on kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities, and a 30% tariff on heavy trucks.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court allowed Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook to remain in her position until 2026. This comes after Cook filed a lawsuit alleging her attempted firing was “illegal,” following Trump’s accusation that she lied on a mortgage application and after the Justice Department launched a criminal investigation against her.
The Introspective 
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