Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday he believes US military personnel will still receive paychecks at the end of the week, even as the Trump administration has yet to outline how it will reconfigure funding during the nation’s second-longest government shutdown.
The funding standoff in Washington has taken on new urgency as millions of Americans face the looming loss of food assistance, federal workers miss their first full paycheck, and airport delays worsen nationwide.
“We do think that we can continue paying the troops, at least for now,” Vance told reporters after meeting with Senate Republicans. “We’ve got food stamp benefits that are set to run out in a week. We’re trying to keep as much open as possible. We just need the Democrats to actually help us out.”
Vance reaffirmed Republicans’ strategy of trying to win over a handful of Senate Democrats to support stopgap funding measures. But nearly a month into the shutdown, that approach has failed with the Senate rejecting legislation to reopen the government for the 13th time just before his remarks.
Pressure is mounting on lawmakers to end the impasse. The American Federation of Government Employees, the nation’s largest federal employee union, on Monday demanded Congress pass a funding bill immediately and guarantee back pay for workers. “It’s time to pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown today. No half measures, and no gamesmanship,” said union president Everett Kelley.
Democrats, however, remain firm. Virginia Senator Tim Kaine said he is seeking assurances from the White House to prevent mass layoffs of federal workers and to extend subsidies for Affordable Care Act health plans. “We’ve got to get a deal with Donald Trump,” Kaine said.
With the shutdown entering its fourth full week, the strain is spreading nationwide. “This week, more than any other week, the consequences become impossible to ignore,” said Rep. Lisa McClain, chair of the House Republican Conference.
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