Vance calls on 5 Democrats to join Republicans and end government shutdown

Vice President JD Vance called on five “reasonable Democrats” to come forward and join Republicans and three Democrats who voted to reopen the government as the shutdown drags on and worsens travel woes within the aviation industry.

“All we need to stop this madness is to pay the air traffic controllers, pay the (Transportation Security Administration) officers, pay the pilots, ensure that food stamps continue to flow to the American people who need them,” Vance said at a White House rally 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 discussion at the White House Thursday afternoon with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Airlines for America CEO and former New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, Teamsters Chief Sean O’Brien and other aviation and related industry leaders.

The roundtable comes as personnel issues persist among air traffic controllers, with problems worsening this week as air traffic controllers officially missed their first full paycheck on Tuesday.

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Vice President JD Vance hosted a meeting outside the White House to discuss the aviation industry’s growing woes as the government shutdown persists. (Olivier Contreras / AFP/Getty Images)

The government shutdown has continued since Oct. 1, when Senate lawmakers failed to reach agreement on a funding plan. Republicans blamed the shutdown on Democrats who allegedly worked to include health benefits for illegal immigrants in the package, which Democrats denied while arguing Republicans were to blame because they failed to negotiate health care demands.

Only two Democratic senators, Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada and John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, as well as independent Angus King of Maine, who caucus with Democrats, voted alongside 52 Republicans to reopen the government. The measure needs 60 votes to pass.

“I was a little unfair, and I want to correct that, because when I say Democrats shut down the government, that’s actually the far left of the Democratic Party,” Vance added. “It is to their credit that three moderate Democrats joined all 52 Senate Republicans to vote to reopen the government. We need five more reasonable Democrats to put the American people first and reopen the government.”

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“We need five more reasonable Democrats to put the American people first and reopen the government,” Vice President JD Vance said on October 30, 2025.

Both Duffy and Vance described the shutdown as a “hostage” situation as families suffer without paychecks, federal food benefits dry up and air travel hangs in the balance as Americans prepare to travel for the holidays.

“We are happy to discuss any policy matter,” Vance said. “We’re happy to talk about health care policy. We’re happy to talk about tax policy. We’re happy to talk about regulatory policy, but not at gunpoint.”

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Queues and waiting times at airports around the world are experiencing problems all over the world. (PA)

“You cannot hold the government of the American people hostage and then demand that we give you whatever you want to pay our air traffic controllers,” he continued. “It’s a ridiculous set of demands. Let’s reopen the government, then sit down and talk about how to compromise on policy for the American people.”

Duffy added: “Don’t hold air traffic controllers hostage. »

“A lot of our people can miss a single paycheck, and it’s tough for them, but a lot of them can get through it. None of them can make it through two paychecks. And so, again, if the Democrats don’t get their act together very quickly, you’re going to see huge problems,” Duffy said.

The shutdown has already caused delays at airports in cities including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and Newark, New Jersey, as air traffic controllers, employed by the Federal Aviation Administration, face staffing shortages.

Unions and trade associations tied to airlines and airports increasingly called on Senate lawmakers to pass a “continuing, clean resolution” as the shutdown drags on, including the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, an independent union representing aircraft maintenance technicians and other affected employees, on Wednesday.

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“On behalf of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) and our 4,400 members across the United States representing aircraft maintenance technicians at Alaska Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Horizon Air, Spirit Airlines and Sun Country Airlines, we urge Congress to end the government shutdown by passing a continuing resolution,” AMFA National President Bret Oestreich said in a press release issued Wednesday.