Vice President J.D. Vance said Sunday that the longer the government shutdown lasts, the more likely there will be deep cuts to the federal workforce, adding to the uncertainty facing hundreds of thousands of people who have already been furloughed without pay amid the gridlock in Congress.
Vance warned that new cuts would be “painful” as the federal government shutdown enters its 12th day, but said this week that the Trump administration is working to ensure that military personnel are paid and that some services for low-income Americans, including food assistance, are maintained.
Still, hundreds of thousands of government workers have been furloughed in recent days, and the Office of Management and Budget announced Friday that well over 4,000 federal workers will soon be laid off due to the shutdown.
“The longer this goes on, the wider the reductions will be,” Vance said on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.” “Let me be clear: some of these cuts are going to be painful. This is not a situation we’re happy about. This is not something we’re looking forward to, but the Democrats have given us a pretty tough card.”
Unions have already filed lawsuits to block the aggressive move by President Trump’s budget office, which goes far beyond what would happen in a normal government shutdown and further escalates tensions between Republicans who control Congress and the Democratic minority.
The shutdown began Oct. 1 after Democrats rejected short-term funding fixes and demanded that the bill include an extension of federal subsidies for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. When these subsidies expire at the end of the year, millions of people will face increased monthly costs.
President Trump and Republican leaders say they are open to negotiations on health care subsidies, but say the government needs to be reopened first.
For now, negotiations are virtually non-existent. House leaders from both parties remained furious and criticized each other during an appearance on “Fox News Sunday” on Sunday.
“We have made it clear repeatedly that we will talk to anyone, anytime, anywhere,” said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York. “Republicans control the House, the Senate, and the Presidency. It’s unfortunate that they took a get-my-way approach.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) criticized Democrats, saying they “don’t seem to care” about the pain the government shutdown will cause.
“They are doing everything in their power to distract the American people from the simple fact that they have chosen a partisan fight to prove to the rising Marxist base within the Democratic Party that they are ready to fight Trump and the Republican Party.”
Meanwhile, progressive activists expressed renewed support for the Democratic Party’s position in the shutdown fight.
“We’re pleased with the strength of the Democratic Party’s position,” said Ezra Levin, co-founder of Indivisible, a major progressive protest group. He pointed to rifts in the Republican Party, pointing to Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s public warning last week that health care premiums for average Americans, including adult children, would rise if nothing was done.
“Trump and the Republican Party are rightly responsible for the government shutdown and impending insurance premium hikes,” Levin said. “Their chickens are coming home to roost.”
Nevertheless, the Republican administration and its allies in Congress have shown no signs of compromising on Democratic demands or backing down from threats to seize the opportunity to pursue further cuts to the federal workforce.
Thousands of employees in the departments of Education, Treasury, Homeland Security, Health and Human Services and the Environmental Protection Agency are expected to receive layoff notices, according to agency spokespeople and federal employee union representatives.
“You’ve heard many Senate Democrats say how could Donald Trump fire all federal employees,” Vance said. “Well, the Democrats gave us a choice between giving food stamps to low-income women, paying salaries to the military on the one hand, and paying salaries to federal bureaucrats on the other.”
Democrats say the firings are illegal and unnecessary.
“They don’t need to do that,” Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “There is no need to punish people who should not be in this position.”
Peoples writes for The Associated Press.
