US Vice President declares that this crisis should be seen as ‘an opportunity to rethink the size and role of the State’
The vice-president of , , stated this week that the longer the current partial shutdown of the federal government lasts, the greater the cuts in the public workforce will be, and that some of the positions currently suspended may never return. The statements were made during an event in Cincinnati, Ohio, and reinforce the government’s tone of toughness amid the budget impasse in Congress.
“Every additional day of shutdown makes it inevitable that some government functions will no longer return,” Vance said, adding that “people need to understand that the federal workforce will be permanently smaller.” According to him, the crisis should be seen as “an opportunity to rethink the size and role of the State”.
The speech echoes the president’s stance, who has publicly defended drastic spending cuts and a “reformulation of the federal machine”. The government now faces the 12th day of shutdown, after Congress failed to approve the financing package necessary to keep federal agencies functioning.
More than 800,000 public employees are currently furloughed or working without pay, and critical sectors — such as immigration services, air transport and food inspection — are already reporting delays and overload. The Treasury Department warned that if the impasse continues, the impact could affect the payment of social benefits and even defense contracts.
Vance, who spoke before business leaders and supporters in his home state, defended a structural downsizing of the public sector, stating that “the government needs to learn to do more with less”. According to him, “part of the federal workforce has grown uncontrollably in recent decades, and now the country needs to adjust accounts and priorities”.
JD Vance’s speech has repercussions on the opposition
Political analysts highlight that the vice president’s speech has a double objective: to pressure Congress to approve a new budget agreement, and at the same time to mobilize the conservative base, which sees the strike as a way to force lasting cuts. However, critics argue that the stance threatens the stability of millions of families and could cause lasting economic damage.
In Washington, Democratic leaders reacted strongly. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) called Vance’s statements “a direct attack on the public workers who keep the country running.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer stated that “the White House is playing with the livelihoods of essential workers, turning a budget crisis into electoral rhetoric.”
The climate of tension increases as negotiations continue to be paralyzed at the Capitol. The House, under Republican control, insists on deeper cuts to social and environmental programs, while the Senate tries to approve a provisional measure to reopen part of the agencies.
Economists warn that, if the shutdown exceeds three weeks, the effects could be comparable to those of a localized recession, with a slowdown in federal investments, an impact on consumption and a loss of confidence in public contracts.
Meanwhile, the vice president remains firm in his speech. “A government that grows faster than the people that support it is not sustainable,” concluded Vance, promising that the Executive “will not back down in the face of the need for profound changes.”
The current strike is one of the longest in recent decades and has become a symbol of the political division in Washington — a dispute that already goes beyond the borders of Congress and threatens the stability of the entire country.
