00:00We're on day two, unfortunately, of a government shutdown.
00:02The president, the vice president, the entire team here will continue to work and talk to members on the Hill
00:08to try and come to a resolution, to try to encourage Democrats to muster up the courage to do the right thing.
00:14And we believe there will be a vote taking place tomorrow, and we hope that vote will lead to the government reopening.
00:19That's what the president wants to see, and that's what we're working on today.
00:22John.
00:22Caroline, yesterday the vice president in the brief room by your side expressed this optimism that he thinks this shutdown is going to be a short shutdown.
00:31Do you express, share that optimism? Does the president share that optimism?
00:35I do. I think we all, that's our hope, and that's our expectation.
00:39We know, Democrats know, they are doing the wrong thing by shutting the government down.
00:44You can see it when they're answering questions, you can hear it in their voice.
00:48There is zero good reason for them to vote to shut the government down right now.
00:53They are doing it for political reasons.
00:55They are doing it because they want to give taxpayer-funded health care benefits to illegal aliens,
01:00which is something the American people resoundingly rejected ahead of the election last year.
01:05That's why they re-elected President Trump in a large part.
01:08And so Democrats know what the right thing to do is, and it's to reopen the federal government.
01:12Can you give us an estimate on the amount of federal workers that the Trump administration wants to fire during the government shutdown?
01:18Are we talking hundreds, are we talking thousands?
01:20Look, it's likely going to be in the thousands.
01:22It's a very good question, and that's something that the Office of Management and Budget
01:26and the entire team at the White House here, again, is unfortunately having to work on today.
01:30These discussions and these conversations, these meetings would not be happening
01:33if the Democrats had voted to keep the government open.
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