VP Vance Warns of Mass Layoffs if Government Shutdown Drags On

WHITE HOUSE – It's day two of the government shutdown, and neither side is showing any sign of compromise. Vice President JD Vance said mass layoffs could begin in a matter of days.

On Wednesday, the Senate failed to pass short-term funding bills to reopen the government. There will be no vote on Thursday, due to the Yom Kippur holiday.
 
Signs of the shutdown are already appearing in Washington, D.C., as sites like the Library of Congress and the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center are being closed.

The crisis is further polarizing an already divided Congress, with both political parties blaming each other.
 
Wednesday, Vice President Vance spoke to reporters at a White House press briefing, arguing that Democrats caused the government's closing because they demanded extending health care to illegal immigrants.

"What they have done instead is to shut down the government because we won't give billions of dollars for health care funding for illegal aliens," Vance said.

Democrats deny that claim. They say their focus is on renewing subsidies for the Affordable Care Act in order to prevent insurance premiums from becoming more costly to American families. 

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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said, "We are fighting to lower the high cost of living and protect the health care of everyday Americans."
 
Republicans want the government reopened before negotiating the details of the health care issue. But yesterday, the Senate voted down a temporary funding measure to "turn the lights back on." 

As the shutdown continues, life for federal workers will only get harder. 750,000 federal workers could be furloughed or fired by the Trump administration. 

Also, essential workers like TSA agents, air traffic controllers, and the U.S. military are being told to continue working without pay. In previous shutdowns, essential workers were always reimbursed once the shutdown was resolved. This is mandated by the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019. 

Meanwhile, Vance said, "Let's be honest. If this thing drags on for another few days, or God forbid, another few weeks, we are gonna have to lay people off."
 
Vance says he's very concerned about the vulnerable people in America who he believes will suffer the most in this government shutdown. Asked by reporters how long he thinks it will last, he says he really does not know, saying it's incumbent upon the Democrats to come to the table and agree to the resolution.  

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