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WASHINGTON -- Vice President JD Vance connected Sunday said determination volition beryllium deeper cuts to the national workforce the longer the government shutdown goes on, adding to the uncertainty facing hundreds of thousands who are already furloughed without wage amid the stubborn stalemate successful Congress.
Vance warned that arsenic the national shutdown continued, the caller cuts would beryllium "painful," adjacent arsenic helium said the Trump medication worked to guarantee that the subject is paid this week and immoderate services would beryllium preserved for low-income Americans, including nutrient assistance.
Still, hundreds of thousands of authorities workers person been furloughed successful caller days and, successful a tribunal filing connected Friday, the Office of Management and Budget said good implicit 4,000 federal employees would soon beryllium fired successful conjunction with the shutdown. The effects of the shutdown besides grew Sunday with the Smithsonian announcing its museums, probe centers and the National Zoo are temporarily closed going guardant for deficiency of funding.
"The longer this goes on, the deeper the cuts are going to be," Vance said connected Sunday. "To beryllium clear, immoderate of these cuts are going to beryllium painful. This is not a concern that we relish. This is not thing that we're looking guardant to, but the Democrats person dealt america a beauteous hard acceptable of cards."
Labor unions person already filed a suit to halt the assertive determination by President Donald Trump 's fund office, which goes acold beyond what usually happens successful a authorities shutdown, further inflaming tensions betwixt the Republicans who power Congress and the Democratic minority.
The shutdown began connected Oct. 1 aft Democrats rejected a short-term backing hole and demanded that the measure see an hold of federal subsidies for wellness security nether the Affordable Care Act. The expiration of those subsidies astatine the extremity of the twelvemonth volition effect successful monthly outgo increases for millions.
Trump and Republican leaders person said they are unfastened to negotiations connected the wellness subsidies, but importune the authorities indispensable reopen first.
For now, negotiations are virtually nonexistent. Dug successful arsenic ever, House leaders from some parties pointed fingers astatine each different successful rival Sunday appearances connected "Fox News Sunday."
"We person repeatedly made wide that we volition beryllium down with anyone, anytime, anyplace," said House Democratic person Hakeem Jeffries of New York. "Republicans power the House, the Senate and the presidency. It's unfortunate they've taken a my-way-or-the-highway approach."
House Speaker Mike Johnson blamed Democrats and said they "seem not to care" astir the symptom the shutdown is inflicting.
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"They're trying their champion to distract the American radical from the elemental information that they've chosen a partisan combat truthful that they tin beryllium to their Marxist rising basal successful the Democratic Party that they're consenting to combat Trump and Republicans," helium said.
Progressive activists, meanwhile, expressed caller enactment for the Democratic Party's presumption successful the shutdown fight.
Ezra Levin, co-founder of the starring progressive protestation radical Indivisible, said helium is "feeling bully astir the spot of Dem position." He pointed to fractures successful the GOP, noting that Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene publically warned past week that wellness attraction security premiums would skyrocket for mean Americans - including her ain big children - if thing is done.
"Trump and GOP are rightfully taking the blasted for the shutdown and for looming premium increases," Levin said. "Their chickens are coming location to roost."
And yet the Republican medication and its legislature allies are showing nary signs of caving to Democratic demands oregon backing distant from threats to usage the accidental to prosecute deeper cuts to the national workforce.
Thousands of employees astatine the departments of Education, Treasury, Homeland Security and Health and Human Services, arsenic good arsenic the Environmental Protection Agency, are acceptable to person layoff notices, according to spokespeople for the agencies and national representatives for national workers.
"You perceive a batch of Senate Democrats say, well, however tin Donald Trump perchance laic disconnected each of these national workers?" Vance said. "Well, the Democrats person fixed america a prime betwixt giving low-income women their nutrient benefits and paying our troops connected the 1 hand, and, connected the different hand, paying national bureaucrats."
Democrats accidental the firings are amerciable and unnecessary.
"They bash not person to bash this," said Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona connected CNN's "State of the Union." "They bash not person to punish radical that shouldn't find themselves successful this position."
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