Vice President JD Vance sharply criticized Democrats during an interview on Fox & Friends, calling their approach to the government shutdown “astonishing.”

Vance blamed Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and “far-left Senate Democrats” for triggering the budget dispute that has led to the shutdown. He accused them of hypocrisy, noting that many of the same lawmakers who once decried shutdowns are now responsible for prolonging one.

“This is about political games, not the American people,” Vance said, urging Congress to put aside partisan fighting and focus on keeping the government open and functioning.

Negotiations remain tense on Capitol Hill as both parties trade blame while federal agencies brace for the impacts of the shutdown.