More than 4,000 federal employees across several departments were laid off on Friday as the government shutdown stretched into the weekend, with no new deal between Democrats and Republicans in sight.
Details found in a Department of Justice (DOJ) court filing list the number of layoffs per department or agency. The most significant number of layoffs were at the Treasury Department, with 1,446 employees receiving reduction in force (RIF) notices on Friday.
Additionally, military servicemembers could go without their first paycheck on Oct. 15 as the government shutdown carries into another week. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) again told Republican lawmakers to go on recess until the Senate votes to pass a funding bill, with no chance for a vote on a standalone bill to pay military workers.
Vice President JD Vance, set for appearances on several Sunday morning news programs, will likely talk about the furloughed government employees laid off. With the ongoing impasse in Congress, he also will likely be asked about the path forward amid the government shutdown.
After Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in an interview with Punchbowl News that Democrats’ position gets better “every day” during the shutdown, Vance called the remark “vile.”
“Better for Schumer. Worse for Americans,” Vance posted Thursday on the social platform X. “What a vile sentiment from an alleged leader in our country.”
Vance on Sunday will appear on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” CBS News’s “Face the Nation,” Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures” and ABC News’s “The Week.”
The standstill in Congress has led to confrontations between lawmakers and either Johnson or House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.). Arizona Democratic Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego confronted Johnson on Wednesday about delaying the swearing-in of Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva’s (D-Ariz.).
Grijalva would be the last signature needed for a discharge petition to force a vote on a bill that would compel the DOJ to release all files relating to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“This is an excuse so she doesn’t sign on to that,” Gallego told the House Speaker.
“This is absurd,” Johnson said. “This is a publicity stunt.”
After Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) stepped in and the conversation became argumentative, Gallego told Johnson to “stop covering up for pedophiles.”
“Nobody’s covering up for pedophiles, so knock it the hell off,” Lawler retorted.
The day before, Lawler confronted Jeffries over the government shutdown. The discussion became personal after Jeffries called Lawler an “embarrassment.” Following the exchange, Jeffries called Lawler a “malignant clown” on a Wednesday episode of “The Siren” podcast.
Kelly will appear on “Meet the Press” and CNN’s “State of the Union.” Lawler, meanwhile, is set to appear on NewsNation’s “The Hill Sunday.” Jeffries is slated to appear on Fox News’s “Fox News Sunday.”
This week also saw the first phase of a ceasefire — tied to a 20-point peace plan put forward by the Trump administration — reached between Israel and Hamas, two years after war broke out following the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack.
Vance will likely be asked about the ceasefire, along with the prisoner exchange expected next week. Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro and former national security adviser Jake Sullivan, who will both appear on some of Sunday’s shows, will also likely talk about the deal reached this past week.
Sullivan handled questions from the press until the end of the Biden administration regarding the bloody conflict. Earlier in Trump’s second term, Sullivan called the new president’s first 100 days an “unadulterated disaster.”
The Israeli Defense Force announced on Friday that the ceasefire in Gaza was in effect. As part of the deal, Israel will release 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,722 Gazans detained during the war who were not involved in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, The New York Times reported. Hamas, meanwhile, is expected to release all remaining hostages, alive and dead.
Trump is scheduled to head to the Middle East to ensure the deal’s success, including a planned stop to give remarks at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament.
Other possible topics of discussion on Sunday include Trump’s use of the National Guard in Portland, Ore., in Chicago and across Illinois to combat crime and assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials on the ground. Illinois leaders sued the Trump administration on Monday to block Trump’s attempt to deploy the National Guard. A federal appeals court approved the Trump administration to federalize, but not deploy, the National Guard in Illinois on Saturday.
Another topic could focus on the recent indictments of former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) Criticism over their indictments has brought into question whether or not the Department of Justice has been weaponized to target Trump’s perceived political enemies. Former National Security Advisor John Bolton is expected to be the next target for charges, CNN reported Saturday.
These topics and more will be addressed during this week’s Sunday shows. See the full list of guests below:
NewsNation’s “The Hill Sunday”: Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), Rep. Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.), former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro
NBC’s “Meet the Press”: Vice President JD Vance, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)
CBS News’s “Face the Nation”: Vice President JD Vance, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.)
CNN’s “State of the Union”: Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), former national security adviser Jake Sullivan
Fox News’s “Fox News Sunday”: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), Virginia gubernatorial candidate and Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R), Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett
Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures”: Vice President JD Vance, Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.)
ABC’s “This Week”: Vice President JD Vance, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D)