Journalism of Courage
As the US Government entered a state of shutdown, Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday said that the Trump administration doesn’t want to lay off federal workers during the period.
“We don’t want to lay anybody off, but what we do want to do is make sure that as much of the essential services of government remain functional as possible,” Vance told CBS Mornings.
“We were sort of dealt this hand by that faction of Senate Democrats who shut down the government,” Vance said. “We’re going to have to deal with it. We’re going to have to make sure that as much of the people’s government remains open or functional as possible.”
Vance also said the GOP will negotiate with Democrats, but only after the government resumes operating.
In a separate interview on Fox & Friends, Vance described how taxpayers will be affected by the shutdown. He cited people on low-income food programmes, potential flight delays for air travellers and service members reporting for duty without getting paid. “It’s craziness and people are going to suffer because of this,” Vance said.
Vance’s claim that the administration doesn’t want to lay off federal workers contradicts the threat Trump made a day earlier, that he will “do things that are irreversible, that are bad” for the Democrats as retribution.
According to an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office on Tuesday, about 7,50,000 federal employees will be furloughed during the shutdown, with the total daily cost of their compensation at roughly $400 million.
Last week, the White House Office of Management and Budget asked federal agencies to prepare for potential workforce firings, going beyond the typical employee furloughs in the event of a shutdown.
While the full extent of the government shutdown is yet unclear, US media reports say that federal government websites are down or not being updated and maintained.
“Due to the lapse of federal funding, portions of this website will not be updated. Any inquiries submitted will not be answered until appropriations are enacted,” the message displayed on the affected website read.
Democrats in the House and Senate have sought to include an extension of expiring Obamacare subsidies in any government spending bill, while Republicans are pushing for a status quo extension of current funding.
