Vance pleads for 'five reasonable Democrats' to step up, end government 'hostage' situation amid aviation woes
Vice President JD Vance called on five "reasonable Democrats" to come forward and join Republicans and the three Democrats who have voted to reopen the government as the shutdown drags...
By Fox News · Fox News
Vice President JD Vance called on five "reasonable Democrats" to come forward and join Republicans and the three Democrats who have voted to reopen the government as the shutdown drags on and heightens travel woes within the aviation industry. "All we need to end the craziness, to pay the air traffic controllers, to pay the (Transportation Security Administration) agents, to pay the pilots, to make sure that food stamp benefits continue to go out to the American people who need them," Vance said during a gaggle at the White House Thursday afternoon. "All we need is five reasonable Democrats to join three moderate Democrats and 52 Republicans to reopen the government." Vance held a roundtable at the White House Thursday afternoon with Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, Airlines for America CEO and former New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu, Teamsters chief Sean O'Brien and other aviation and related industry leaders. The roundtable comes as staffing issues persist among air traffic controllers, with the issues worsening this week as air traffic controllers officially missed their first full paycheck Tuesday. FLIGHT DELAYS WORSEN AS UNPAID AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS FEEL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN PAIN The government shutdown has continued since Oct. 1, when Senate lawmakers failed to reach an agreement on a funding package. Republicans have pinned blame for the shutdown on Democrats for allegedly working to include healthcare benefits for illegal immigrants in the package, which Democrats have denied while arguing Republicans are to blame due to not negotiating healthcare demands. Only two Senate Democrats, Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada and John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, as well as independent Angus King of Maine, who caucuses with the Democrats, have voted alongside 52 Republicans to reopen the government. The measure needs 60 votes in order to pass. "I've been a little bit unfair, and I want to correct this, because when I say the Democrats have shut down the gover…