WASHINGTON (TNND) — The government shutdown is heading into its third week, continuing to create uncertainty for hundreds of thousands of federal workers who are already furloughed without pay amid the stubborn stalemate in Congress.
Vice President JD Vance on Sunday said there will be deeper cuts to the federal workforce the longer the government shutdown goes on.
Vance warned that the new cuts would be “painful,” even as he said the Trump administration worked to ensure that the military is paid this week and some services would be preserved for low-income Americans, including food assistance.
Still, hundreds of thousands of government workers have been furloughed in recent days and, in a court filing on Friday, the Office of Management and Budget said well over 4,000 federal employees would soon be fired in conjunction with the shutdown. The effects of the shutdown also grew Sunday with the Smithsonian announcing its museums, research centers and the National Zoo are temporarily closed going forward for lack of funding.
“The longer this goes on, the deeper the cuts are going to be,” Vance said on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.” “To be clear, some of these cuts are going to be painful. This is not a situation that we relish. This is not something that we’re looking forward to, but the Democrats have dealt us a pretty difficult set of cards.”
Labor unions have already filed a lawsuit to stop the aggressive move by President Donald Trump’s budget office, which goes far beyond what usually happens in a government shutdown, further inflaming tensions between the Republicans who control Congress and the Democratic minority.
The shutdown began on Oct. 1 after Democrats rejected a short-term funding fix and demanded that the bill include an extension of federal subsidies for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. The expiration of those subsidies at the end of the year will result in monthly cost increases for millions.
Last week, Speaker Mike Johnson said that the House would not be returning this week.
Around 1.4 million federal employees have either been furloughed or are working without pay since the shutdown began.
Editor’s Note: The Associated Press contributed to this story.
