Vice President JD Vance said on Tuesday that he believes U.S. military members will be paid at the end of the week, but did not specify how the government plans to reconfigure funding in the second-longest government shutdown.
The funding fight has gained new urgency as millions of Americans face the prospect of losing food assistance, more federal workers miss their first full paycheck and recurring delays at airports snarl travel plans.
“We do think that we can continue paying the troops, at least for now,” Vance told reporters after lunch with Senate Republicans at the Capitol. “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 the Republicans’ strategy to try to get a handful of Senate Democrats to vote for stopgap funding to reopen the government, however, at this point the shutdown has nearly lasted for a month.
Just before the VP’s visit, Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s 13th attempt to advance the legislation failed once again.
With the government closure lasting a fourth full week as of Tuesday, millions of Americans are likely to experience the difficulties firsthand.
“This week, more than any other week, the consequences become impossible to ignore,” said Rep. Lisa McClain, chair of the House Republican Conference.
1.3 million active duty service members were at risk of missing a paycheck on Friday, but the Trump administration ensured they were paid by shifting $8 billion from military research and development funds to make payroll. However, the VP did not say on Tuesday how the troop pay would be covered this time.
Th administration says funding will run out Friday for the food assistance program that is relied upon by 42 million Americans to supplement their grocery bills, rejecting the use of more than $5 billion in contingency funds to keep benefits flowing into November. The government has also said states won’t be reimbursed if they temporarily cover the cost of benefits next month.
DON’T MISS…
- Scarlett Johansson shares food stamps experience in letter to Congress
- ‘I left the USSR to live on food stamps in the US – now I’m a millionaire’
- US Army plans 24,000 job cuts in bid to ‘be better able to fight the next war’
The Agriculture Department says the contingency fund is intended to help respond to emergencies such as natural disasters. Democrats say the decision concerning the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, goes against the department’s previous guidance concerning its operations during a shutdown.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said the administration intentionally chose not to fund SNAP in November, calling it an “act of cruelty.”