Vance uses false claims to pin shutdown blame on Democrats as White House warns of layoffs

Vice-president falsely says Democrats calling for billions for healthcare for illegal aliens' as funding deadlock continues

JD Vance, the US vice-president, used false claims to blame Democrats for the government shutdown as the White House warned that worker layoffs were imminent.

Federal departments have been closing since midnight after a deadlocked Congress failed to pass a funding measure. The crisis has higher stakes than previous shutdowns, with Trump racing to slash government departments and threatening to turn furloughs into mass firings.