Vance Warns of “Painful” Federal Layoffs as Government Shutdown Deepens

As the U.S. government shutdown stretched into its 12th day, Vice President J.D. Vance warned Sunday that further and deeper cuts to the federal workforce are likely if the deadlock in Congress continues.

Appearing on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures, Vance said the administration is working to ensure military salaries are paid this week and to preserve food assistance programs for low-income Americans, but acknowledged that the prolonged shutdown is forcing “painful decisions.”

“The longer this goes on, the deeper the cuts are going to be,” Vance said. “To be clear, some of these cuts are going to be painful. This is not a situation that we relish, but the Democrats have dealt us a pretty difficult set of cards.”

Thousands of Federal Workers Facing Layoffs

According to a court filing by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), over 4,000 federal employees will soon be terminated as part of the administration’s shutdown response. Already, hundreds of thousands have been furloughed without pay across key agencies, including the Departments of Education, Treasury, Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Labor unions have filed a lawsuit against the administration’s decision, calling it an “illegal and politically motivated overreach.” The action has further inflamed tensions between the Republican-controlled Congress and Democrats, who say the layoffs are unnecessary and cruel.

“They do not have to do this,” said Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) on CNN’s State of the Union. “They don’t have to punish innocent workers who shouldn’t be in this position.”

A Standoff Over Health Subsidies

The shutdown began on October 1, after Democrats rejected a short-term funding bill, demanding that it include an extension of federal health insurance subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The subsidies are set to expire at the end of the year, which would trigger steep increases in monthly premiums for millions of Americans.

Trump and Republican leaders insist the government must reopen before negotiations on the subsidies resume. Democrats, meanwhile, accuse the GOP of holding the government hostage for political leverage.

“Republicans control the House, Senate, and the presidency,” said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. “It’s unfortunate they’ve taken a my-way-or-the-highway approach.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson, however, blamed Democrats for the impasse, claiming they are more interested in appeasing their left-wing base than governing.

“They’ve chosen a partisan fight just to prove to their Marxist base that they can stand up to Trump and Republicans,” Johnson said.

Progressives Rally Behind Democrats

Progressive activists have expressed strong support for Democrats’ stand in the shutdown fight. Ezra Levin, co-founder of the advocacy group Indivisible, said fractures are appearing within the GOP itself.

“Trump and the GOP are rightfully taking the blame for the shutdown and for looming premium increases,” Levin said. “Their chickens are coming home to roost.”

Despite the criticism, the Trump-Vance administration shows no signs of backing down, signaling it may use the crisis to restructure and downsize parts of the federal bureaucracy.

“Democrats have given us a choice,” Vance said. “Between giving low-income women their food benefits and paying our troops—or paying federal bureaucrats. We’ve made our choice.”

As negotiations remain stalled and public frustration grows, the nation’s federal workforce braces for what could become one of the deepest shutdown cuts in U.S. history.