As the US government shutdown stretched into its twelfth day, Vice President JD Vance issued a stark warning on Sunday: the longer Washington stays paralyzed, the harsher the impact will be on the nation&rsquo;s federal workforce.
&ldquo;To be clear, some of these cuts are going to be painful,&rdquo; Vance said. &ldquo;This is not something we relish. This is not something we&rsquo;re looking forward to. But the Democrats have dealt us a pretty difficult set of cards.&rdquo; Thousands of federal employees across the Departments of Education, Treasury, Homeland Security, and Health and Human Services now face layoffs as Congress remains locked in a bitter standoff over government funding and healthcare subsidies.
Vance defended the Trump administration&rsquo;s decision to prioritise military pay and food assistance for low-income Americans, even as critics accused the White House of weaponising the shutdown. &ldquo;Democrats have given us a choice between feeding low-income women and paying the troops on one hand, and paying federal bureaucrats on the other,&rdquo; Vance said. Democrats pushed back. Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona argued that the mass firings were &ldquo;illegal and unnecessary.&rdquo; &ldquo;They do not have to punish people who shouldn&rsquo;t find themselves in this position,&rdquo; he said.
The shutdown began on October 1 after Democrats rejected a short-term funding bill that lacked an extension of federal health-insurance subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. Without an agreement, millions of Americans could soon face rising monthly premiums. While President Donald Trump has signalled openness to future talks on health subsidies, his team insists the government must first reopen. But for now, Capitol Hill remains gridlocked, each party blaming the other for the deadlock.
The impact is widening: the Smithsonian museums, National Zoo, and several research centres have gone dark. Unions have sued the administration, calling the move &ldquo;an overreach beyond normal shutdown protocol.&rdquo; Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said his party was ready to negotiate &ldquo;anytime, anyplace,&rdquo; blaming Republicans for a &ldquo;my-way-or-the-highway approach.&rdquo; House Speaker Mike Johnson, meanwhile, accused Democrats of staging a &ldquo;partisan fight&rdquo; to appease &ldquo;their Marxist rising base.&rdquo;
As Washington squabbles, tens of thousands of Americans wait in uncertainty, caught between political brinkmanship and their next paycheck.

JD Vance Warns of ‘Painful’ Cuts as Shutdown Drags

Vance says “deep cuts” loom as US shutdown hits Day 12; Democrats, GOP remain divided

JD Vance Warns of ‘Painful’ Cuts as Shutdown Drags

Vance says “deep cuts” loom as US shutdown hits Day 12; Democrats, GOP remain divided

October 13, 2025 | 16:14 IST