‘All for Nothing’: Vance Blasts Dems Over Shutdown Deal

Vice President J.D. Vance unloaded on Democrats Thursday night, blasting their shutdown brinkmanship as reckless, destructive, and ultimately pointless. In a candid and forceful appearance on Fox News’ “Hannity,” Vance said the 43-day government shutdown—now the longest in American history—revealed just how far the Democratic Party’s increasingly radical wing was willing to go in its crusade against President Donald J. Trump.

“Here’s what the Democrats actually accomplished,” Vance said. “They caused a lot of stress for our troops. They made our air traffic controllers not get paid. They caused flight cancellations. They made families think they wouldn’t get their food benefits. All for literally nothing.”

According to the vice president, Democrats weren’t negotiating over policy—they were sabotaging the country to damage the president. “They don’t care if the troops don’t get paid. They don’t care if they shut down the airline industry,” he said. “They don’t care if they have to burn the entire country down in order to get Trump.”

The vice president noted that the bill President Trump ultimately signed Wednesday—the one that reopened the federal government—was identical to the package Democrats had rejected more than six weeks prior.

“We could have struck this exact deal 45 days ago,” Vance said. “In fact, we met with Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer and said we will pass this exact deal. They said no.”

Vance said several centrist Democrats privately acknowledged their leadership’s strategy was “crazy,” but lacked the courage to stand up to the party’s activist base. “They all feel a little bit like they’re being held hostage,” he said, noting that a handful of Democratic senators worked quietly with the administration to hammer out the final agreement.

The bill passed the House by a narrow 222–209 margin, with six Democrats crossing the aisle to support the measure. President Trump hailed the outcome as a defeat for political coercion, calling it “a clear message that we will never give in to extortion,” and placing the blame where it belonged—on Democrats “trying to hold the country hostage.”

Vance, for his part, praised the president’s resolve throughout the ordeal, arguing that Trump had predicted this exact outcome. “The president said every day that eventually Democrats were going to realize this was an absurd position, and that’s what they did,” he said.

The vice president also forecast major political fallout—particularly for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, whose role in prolonging the shutdown, he argued, will define his legacy. “This was politically stupid. It was a huge mistake,” Vance said. “The American people saw through it.”

Vance described the entire ordeal as a stark reminder of the philosophical divide separating Republicans and Democrats. “We care about Americans. They care about illegal aliens,” he said. “They made that super clear with this government shutdown fight.”

Republicans say the final package vindicates President Trump’s strategy: no new spending, no policy concessions, no capitulation. The White House emphasized that the bill restores pay for furloughed federal employees and stabilizes key food assistance programs affected during the shutdown.

As the administration pivots to addressing the economic disruptions caused by the impasse—from travel chaos to stalled infrastructure projects—Vance said the focus is on rebuilding and moving forward.

“The Democrats thought they could score political points by hurting the country,” he said. “Instead, they hurt themselves. And the American people won’t forget that.”