White House responds to government layoff criticisms: 'Nobody takes joy in that'

Fiscal Policy & Debt - The administration aims to restore fiscal sanity due to a $37 trillion debt [2] - The federal government is currently shut down, resulting in no incoming revenue [2] - Democrats have presented the administration with the "unenviable choice" of making cuts and layoffs [3] Workforce Reduction - Layoffs are deemed necessary to maintain essential services, a departure from previous shutdowns [1] - The president views the layoffs as an "unprecedented opportunity," while others see it as an "unfortunate consequence" [4] - The administration denies taking joy in laying off workers [5] Administration Stance - The administration is focused on addressing waste, fraud, and abuse [3] - The president "likes to have a little fun every now and then" regarding the layoffs [4]