Vice President JD Vance, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Russell Vought, Office of Management and Budget director, speak to members of the media outside the West Wing at the White House, in Washington. (AP Photo)
US Vice President JD Vance said on Monday that a government shutdown is bound to happen as an impasse remains over the flow of funding after a last meeting between President Donald Trump and the Democratic leaders in the Congress made little progress.
The United States could be heading for a government shutdown on Tuesday night as both Republicans and Democrats have shown little interest in avoiding it due to a partisan divide, BBC reported.
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Following a meeting between Trump and congressional leaders, Vance, while on the White House driveway said, “I think we’re headed to a shutdown because the Democrats won’t do the right thing. I hope they change their mind, but we’re going to see,” CNN reported.
VP calls out Dems for holding government funding hostage to broken healthcare policies:
“Everything they accuse of being broken about American healthcare is policy they supported for the past decade…we’re headed into a shutdown because the Democrats won’t do the right thing.” pic.twitter.com/TF0sRaB78g
— Vice President JD Vance (@VP) September 29, 2025
Vance accused Democrats of a possible government shutdown over demanding negotiations on healthcare funding in order to keep the government open. “If they want to talk about how to fix American health care policy, let’s do it,” Vance added.
The Republican Senate majority leader John Thune, after the meeting, accused the Democrats of “hostage taking”. Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer said “very large differences” existed between his party and the Republicans.
Republicans have demanded a short-term expansion of the current spending levels, while the Democrats want agreement to renew the government health-insurance subsidies for low-income individuals which is poised to expire at the end of this year.
Vance, after the congressional meeting, added “Let’s work on it together, and let’s do it in the context of an open government that’s providing essential services to the American people. The fact that they refuse to do that shows how unreasonable their position is.”
During Trump’s first tenure, the government shutdown lasted for 35 days, which set a record as the longest shutdown in the history of America. Democrats believe that healthcare is an issue that is winning for them and hence they are debating whether millions of Americans would lose their ability to afford healthcare insurance.
