Although Vance underscored that it remained safe to fly, he expressed concerns with the financial strain the shutdown has created for air travel workers, though he kept referring to pilots who are paid by airlines and not the government.

“I don’t think Americans should be afraid to fly because we’ve got great airline professionals who are keeping the safest aviation industry in the world afloat, but they’re doing it with incredible stress,” the vice president said.

Vance then repeated Republicans’ position that they will not negotiate an extension of pandemic-era Obamacare tax credits, Democrats’ chief demand in the shutdown fight, until the government is reopened, comparing their behavior to that of a “child.”

“We have a shortage of 2,000 people,” he said. “How many of those people look to the future, see the congressional Democrats can’t get their act together, and say, ‘You know what, we’re not going to join air traffic controlling at all,’ which is going to further extend the delays? We have a safe system because these guys are doing heroic things in the midst of this terrible shutdown. But why do we ask them to do so much without getting paid? Why don’t we pay them so that they can be happy, they can do the best job they can do, and they’re not worried about feeding their families?”

The White House and congressional Republicans need the votes of five more Senate Democrats to overcome the filibuster and pass a short-term bill to extend funding through Nov. 21. The GOP-led House, which has been on recess since last month, has already passed the measure.

“I just want to say to any Democrat in the United States Senate, we are happy to talk about any policy issue,” Vance said. “We’re happy to talk about healthcare policy, we’re happy to talk about tax policy, we’re happy to talk about regulatory policy, but not at the point of a gun. You do not get to take the American people’s government hostage and then demand that we give you everything you want in order to pay our air traffic controllers. It’s a ridiculous set of demands.”

As air traffic controllers and TSA agents go without pay, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients are also preparing to go without benefits starting this weekend.

Vance downplayed the possibility of keeping SNAP operating, even after the White House found the $5.3 billion required to pay military service members on Friday by redirecting funds.

“Look, right now, this government, this administration, we’re like guys running around with a leak in a damn wall, trying to plug it with bubble gum,” he said. “The suffering is going to get a lot worse. It’s not because the president of the United States has failed to make the shutdown painless. He’s tried to do everything he can to make it as unpainless as possible. The reason that pain is coming, and the reason it’s building, is because we’re not passing the clean bill to reopen the government.”

The Washington Post, ABC News, and Ipsos released a poll on Friday showing that more respondents hold Trump and Republicans responsible for the shutdown, with 45% compared to 33% who blame Democrats, though the percentage who consider Democrats responsible is increasing.

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At the same time, KFF found this week that Obamacare premiums are expected to rise by an average of 26% next year, though Republicans insist that costs were going up even without the subsidies expiring.

“We don’t want the American people’s health insurance premiums to go up,” Vance said on Thursday in response to a reporter’s question. “Now here is our very simple proposal to the Democrats: Let’s sit down and come to a compromise and work it out.”