Vice President Mike Pence continued to blame the Democrats for the government shutdown and accused them of short-changing the military.
His comments came during an interview with NBC's Andrea Mitchell.
"It was the Democrat leadership and vast majority of Democrats in the Senate that decided to say no to government funding," he said.
"So now, we literally have some 100,000 National Guard in reserves waiting to go home for the weekend to train, we have 2 million men and women in uniform who are not getting paid as we speak, we have 50,000 civilian personnel who are going to be furloughed from supporting our military — that is just unacceptable."
Mitchell noted Republicans are in control of the Senate, but Pence replied: "As you know Andrea, legislation requires, too often, 60 votes. So, in a very real sense, the Democratic minority is in the driver's seat here."
Pence's remarks came following a speech on Sunday to U.S. troops in the Middle East. In his address he also attacked Democrats for the government shutdown.
Currently, Pence is visiting Egypt, Jordan and Israel. The trip comes after President Donald Trump's announcement in December that he would move the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
"We understand that our allies and friends in the region might have a difference of opinion on that," Pence said about the move.
"And President Trump sent me here not only to reaffirm his decision about recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel but to reaffirm our commitment to the peace process," he added.
Pence also called negotiations between North and South Korea and the two counties' decision to march together at the Olympics a positive step, according to NBC News.
And he credited Trump for bringing North Korea into talks with South Korea.
"The leadership that President Trump has provided, the pressure that we placed on North Korea is exactly the reason that the Kim regime is re-engaging," Pence said.
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