Frustrated over shutdown, Vance uses unverified claim to pin blame on Democrats

US Vice President JD Vance resorted to inaccurate claims as he blamed the Democrats for the government shutdown. Federal departments across the United States have been closing since midnight after Congress failed to pass a funding measure. In the midst of this, the White House has warned that worker layoffs are imminent.

The crisis is more concerning since the previous government shutdowns, since US President Donald Trump is racing to slash government departments and threatening to turn furloughs into mass firings. Making a rare appearance in the White House briefing room, Vance unleashed a scathing attack against the media while speaking to the reporters.

“We are going to have to lay some people off if the shutdown continues. We don’t like that. We don’t necessarily want to do it, but we’re going to do what we have to do to keep the American people’s essential services continuing to run.”

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The American Vice President denied that workers would be targeted because of their political allegiance. However, he still maintained uncertainties over who might be laid off or furloughed. “We haven’t made any final decisions about what we’re going to do with certain workers,” he said. “What we’re saying is that we might have to take extraordinary steps, especially the longer this goes on.”

750,000 federal workers to be affected

According to The Guardian, around 750,000 federal employees are expected to be placed on furlough, an enforced leave, with pay withheld until they return to work. Essential workers such as military and border agents may be forced to work without pay, and some will likely miss pay cheques next week.

During the same press briefing, US Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that government agencies are already preparing for cuts. “Unfortunately, because the Democrats shut down the government, the president has directed his cabinet, and the Office of Management and Budget is working with agencies across the board, to identify where cuts can be made – and we believe that layoffs are imminent,” she said.

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The press secretary also acknowledged that she could not be precise about timing or identify the percentage of workers likely to be affected. While speaking to the media, Vance sought to upbraid Democrats over their demands, targeting Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer and progressive congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, known as AOC.

“The Chuck Schumer-AOC wing of the Democratic Party shut down the government because they said to us, We will open the government only if you give billions of dollars of funding to healthcare for illegal aliens. That’s a ridiculous proposition," he said. However, Vance’s assertion is inaccurate, since US law bars undocumented immigrants from receiving the health care benefits Democrats are demanding, and the party has not called for a new act of Congress to change that.

Democrats hit back

During a press conference on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic minority leader in the House of Representatives, said Trump and Republicans shut the government down to deny healthcare to working-class Americans.

“The president has been engaging in irresponsible and unserious behaviour, demonstrating that, all along, Republicans wanted to shut the government down,” he said. “That’s no surprise, because for decades, Republicans have consistently shut the government down as part of their efforts to try to extract and jam their extreme rightwing agenda down the throats of the American people.”

In the midst of all this, the White House began targeting Democratic-leaning states for a pause or cancellation of infrastructure funds. Schumer and Jeffries also released a joint statement on the matter. “Donald Trump is once again treating working people as collateral damage in his endless campaign of chaos and revenge," the statement read.