“Elon Musk once pledged that his Department of Government Efficiency would find $1 trillion in savings in the federal budget by Sept. 30, the date the government closes its books on the fiscal year,” the New York Times reports.

“That date has now come and gone, Mr. Musk has long since left Washington, and DOGE never came close to cutting as much money as he promised. But because its work has been obscured by crude accounting and White House maneuvers, it’s impossible to know how much DOGE and its allies actually did cut from the budget — or even what happened to that money.”

“Outside budget experts can’t nail down a number. Even congressional appropriators — the people who decide how federal funds should be spent in the first place — don’t know. And the public may never have a clear answer.”

Punchbowl News: “The Trump administration began layoffs across the federal government today in response to the ongoing government shutdown, with thousands of employees being fired at a half-dozen agencies.”

“The move – which came as Senate Majority Leader John Thune was literally praising the Trump administration for holding off on such actions – is the latest sign that both sides are digging in for what could be a long shutdown. A very long shutdown.”

“Members of Congress pushed back Friday against the White House announcing layoffs of federal workers as part of the government shutdown,” Axios reports.

“The firings are happening at agencies across the federal government, including the Departments of Homeland Security, Commerce, Treasury, Education, Health and Human Services and Energy.”

Wall Street Journal: “The move marks a major escalation in Trump’s efforts to force a resolution to the partisan standoff on Capitol Hill and tests the limits of his executive power to trim the federal work force. Congress has been at a standstill since the shutdown started Oct. 1, and many federal workers and military servicemembers are set to miss their first full paychecks next week.”

“The Trump administration moved to begin laying off federal workers Friday while the government was shuttered, fulfilling threats from President Donald Trump to take advantage of the closure to shave off still more parts of the federal workforce he dislikes,” the Washington Post reports.