Vice President JD Vance, Sen. Chris Murphy, Rep. Jim Himes

0:00I'm Margaret Brennan in Washington. President Trump prepares to head to Israel as the deadline to release the remaining 48 hostages nears. Meanwhile, some federal employees will miss paychecks. Others face pink slips as the government shutdown drags on. We'll talk to Vice President J.D. Vance. Hopeful Gazans have begun the trek back to their homes as the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas continues to hold. But the rebuilding and recovery ahead is daunting and still very much unsettled. President Trump will join special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner in the region as peace talks continue.

0:42Democrats Chris Murphy and Jim Hives will be here in addition to the vice president and we'll hear from a key player in the region on the next part of the peace process. With the shutdown now in its 12th day, more federal facilities are facing closure, paychecks are on the verge of being missed, and the Trump administration has begun sending reduction in force notices to some federal employees. These are largely people that the Democrats want. Many of them will be fired. It's all just ahead on Face the Nation.

1:27Good morning and welcome to Face the Nation. We begin today with Vice President J.D. Vance, who joins us from Cincinnati this morning. Good morning to you, Mr. Vice President. Good morning, Margaret. Thanks for having me. We are getting very close to that 72-hour deadline for the hostage release. I think the world is holding its breath here. Or is the administration seeing signs that Hamas and Israel are complying with everything they need to and that this will go ahead? Yes, Margaret. So knock on wood, but we feel very confident the hostages will be released and that the president is actually traveling to the Middle East likely this evening in order to meet them and greet them in person.

2:07It's a big day for their families, but I think more importantly, it's a big day for the entire world. The President of the United States set to his entire diplomatic team, especially Marco Rubio, Steve Whitcoff, and Jared Kushner, to go and get a deal done, to stop the war in Gaza, to begin to rebuild Gaza so the population could live there in peace and prosperity, to actually eliminate the threat of terrorism to our friends in Israel, which is very, very important, and also to bring the hostages home alive. It was a very tall task. He pursued a very nontraditional diplomacy with people who were not 40-year diplomats, but people who brought a fresh perspective to it.

2:43And of course, the president was criticized for it. The diplomatic team was criticized for it. But I think that because he chose a different pathway, he didn't just do what everybody else in the past had done. We are now on the cusp of a sustainable peace in the Middle East. It's a great moment. Those are some very ambitious plans in phase two, in particular, of this deal. Let me ask you about some of the details, because the administration has pledged about 200 U.S. troops from Central Command to be part of implementing this deal. They're not going to be in Gaza, but how long will they be involved here?

3:18And more broadly, is the Trump administration fully committed to keeping the pressure on? Because those things you just mentioned aren't going to happen overnight in terms of dismantling Hamas and building towards a stable Gaza. You're exactly right, Margaret. It is going to take consistent leverage and consistent pressure from the president of the United States on down. I know the president is very committed to doing that. But you asked about the 200 troops from Central Command. I think you put it accurately. These are not troops who are going to be put in Gaza, but they're troops who are already at Central Command.

3:51They've been at that base for many, many years, and they're going to help monitor and mediate this peace. Inevitably, there are going to be conflicts here. There are going to be things that the people in Gaza disagree with Israel about, that the Israelis disagree with the Gulf Arab states about. We see our role really as mediating some of those disputes and ensuring that the pressure stays on everybody to achieve a durable and lasting peace. One of the underreported elements of this deal, Margaret, is that the president convinced the entire Muslim world, really, both the Gulf Arab states, but as far in Southeast Asia as Indonesia, to really step up and provide ground troops so that Gaza could be secured in safety.

4:30And that actually makes it possible to rebuild. It makes it possible to dismantle those terrorist networks. It makes it possible to ensure that lasting peace that all of us care so much about. So we think that the Arab countries, the Muslim-majority countries, are going to step up in a big way with troops on the ground. We're going to continue to play our mediation role. And I think that's a very, very good place for all of us to be. It's been successful thus far. And, of course, we're going to work to make it as successful all the way through as we can. A big picture, though, when it comes to American security.

4:59You said back in July that you'd seen what you called heartbreaking images of little kids who are clearly starving to death in Gaza. and that, quote, Israel's got to do more to let that aid in. Are you concerned that even if, God willing, this war ends, America's security has been endangered by this perception that America has been OK with Israel and in support of it despite conduct that clearly you and the president didn't agree with? Well, look, as the president said, you have to remember the war started because of a brutal terrorist attack on Israeli soil. and we've been laser focused on eliminating the terrorist threat to the Israelis while also ensuring that the innocent people in Gaza get the necessary humanitarian aid.

5:47That's a difficult balance to strike. But I think if you look at the dancing in the street in Gaza, if you look at the way that the Gulf Arab states, really the entire Muslim world, but also you look at how the Israelis responded. They were cheering at the mention of President Trump's name yesterday in a massive rally in Israel, this is one of those peace deals where Muslims and Jews and Christians all seem unified, that it's a really good thing for the world. It's a really good thing for humanity. And it happened because of President Trump's leadership. So I actually think this peace deal will make us safer.

6:20I'm sure there are going to be some hard feelings from the last couple of years of war. There always are. But if we can build a sustainable peace, Margaret, I am 100 % sure Americans will be safer because of it. Let me ask you about what's happening here at home, or perhaps not happening when it comes to negotiations to reopen the government. There were more than 4 ,000 layoff notices called rifts or reduction in force announcements that went out Friday to workers across seven different agencies, including Treasury and Health and Human Services. Take a listen to how the president described this.

6:56We'll be cutting some very popular Democrat programs that aren't popular with Republicans, frankly, because that's the way it works. They wanted to do this. So we'll get a little taste of their own medicine. How are you deciding who gets laid off? Well, the main thing that we're focused on, Margaret, is ensuring essential services remain open. And obviously, in a government shutdown, we have limited funds to work with because the appropriations that keep the government running have not been made. That's thanks to Chuck Schumer and the Democrats. So we're trying to do everything that we can to ensure that low-income women and children get the food services that they need.

7:30We're trying to make sure that we pay our troops because that matters for national security. We also want our people to get their paychecks. That's where we've been focused. And unfortunately, what that does mean, Margaret, is that some federal bureaucrats are going to have to get laid off. This is not a situation that we're excited about. We want the government to reopen. But Chuck Schumer and the Democrats decided to shut down the government, and we have to deal with the consequences in the administration. So that's what we're doing. Well, these aren't furloughs. These are notifications of being laid off, of losing their jobs.

8:00That's why it's a little different this time. And specifically, when it comes to what's happening within the health sector, CBS did confirm on Saturday that the Trump administration went and rescinded some of the layoffs of hundreds of CDC scientists who were mistakenly laid off on Friday and then told Saturday. That's not the case. But some of them were involved with the federal measles response. Some of them were involved with the response on Ebola. How does a mistake like this happen? Did the White House even talk to the CDC? Well, so two responses to that, Margaret. First of all, I want to assure the American people that the frontline health care workers, the people who monitor measles, Ebola and other infectious diseases, those people are still on the job and we're trying very hard to figure out how to ensure those people get a paycheck, of course, because we want them to be happy and healthy.

8:49We want them to be able to do their jobs well. But the second point, Margaret, is the government shutdown inevitably leads to some chaos. We are figuring out how to take money from some areas and give it to other areas. That chaos is because Schumer and the far-left Democrats shut down the government. We have to remember, Margaret, that the vast majority of Republicans, and to their great credit, a number of moderate Democrats have consistently voted to reopen the government. But if Chuck Schumer and the far left Senate Democrats are going to shut down the government, that is going to lead to some chaos.

9:22So you ask, how does this mistake happen? It happened because Chuck Schumer shut down the government and we're trying to make sure that essential services still function in the face of that shutdown. But that was a White House decision to lay off these individuals. You heard the president talking about that. That wasn't Chuck Schumer's decision. I understand your broader point on the negotiations, but the layoffs came from the president and the White House. But my point is, Margaret, that we have to do layoffs because we have to preserve necessary resources to do the most critical things that the government does.

9:53And in that phase, you're going to have some chaos. You're going to lay off people, frankly, Margaret, that the White House doesn't want to lay off. We would like to reopen the government and ensure these essential services stay on. But unfortunately, in an environment where we're dealing with limited resources, where the government is shut down, we've got to move some things around. And in that moving things around, there is some chaos, there is some unpredictability, but we're trying to do everything that we can with the hand of cards that Chuck Schumer and the Democrats have dealt us. That's our solemn promise and that's our duty to the American people, but there's going to be chaos.

10:29That's why we want to open the government. That's why we want the Democrats to accept that the government should be open. But are you confident that these job cuts are legal, that these reductions in force during a shutdown are going to withstand legal scrutiny, given that some unions are saying this is a violation of the Anti-Deficiency Act? Well, we are confident, Margaret. Of course, we always follow the law and we always follow court cases. And we think that we have the authority to do what we need to do. I'm sure that some people will sue and that will get figured out in court. But the reality is we have to remember, why are we in this situation, Margaret?

11:07All these conversations about whether it's a temporary layoff or a permanent layoff, we're dealing with a terrible, chaotic situation because Chuck Schumer and a few far-left Democrats decided to shut down the government. If they just joined with the moderate Democrats and the vast majority of Republicans, we can open up the government and all these conversations will no longer be necessary. When I pressed Leader Schumer on this program just last Sunday about this, about reopening the government. He said it's going to take getting everyone in the same room with the president of the United States.

11:42Only the five people, including the president, he said, can solve it. Why doesn't the president insist that lawmakers come back to Washington, sit with him and talk this through? Well, as Chuck Schumer said, it's not all lawmakers. It's the Senate leadership that really is driving this shutdown. The House has already passed a bill to reopen the government. It's the Senate. And again, it's a far left sort of contingent of Senate Democrats who are keeping the government shut down. But the president says he's a dealmaker. Why doesn't he force a deal here? Why doesn't he tell Republicans like the Speaker, get your lawmakers back here, come into my office, let's hammer this thing out?

12:19Margaret, it's a totally fair question. And the answer is because this isn't a dealmaking, this isn't a negotiation, this is hostage shaking. Chuck Schumer has not said to us, this is what we need, he said that unless you give us what we need, we're going to shut down the government. That is a totally different thing. If Chuck Schumer wants to come into the Oval Office or come to my house, he is welcome to talk about how to fix health care policy for Americans. Of course, we want to lower insurance premiums. We want to make sure that the skyrocketing health care costs of the Biden administration start to level off and hopefully come down.

12:52That's one conversation. But you don't come into the Oval Office and say, unless you, the president of the United States, give us everything that I want. I'm going to shut down the government. I'm going to deny low-income women and children their food benefits. I'm not going to pay the troops. That is what Chuck Schumer has put us in the situation of doing. We don't negotiate with a person who has taken the entire federal government hostage over a health care policy dispute. And I think that basic principle, you saw Barack Obama say this to Ted Cruz and a number of Republicans, we want to talk about health care policy, but we're not going to shut down the government over this.

13:27That's all that Donald Trump is now saying to Chuck Schumer and the far-left Democrats. We are not going to negotiate over opening the government. We'll negotiate on a health care policy, but only once you do your job and open up to people's government. Okay, just a quick follow there, though. What is your vision for that health care policy? Do you want these tax credits to fade out over time, extend them, and then fade them out? Are you open to making them permanent? Well, the tax credits go to some people deservedly, and we think the tax credits actually go to a lot of waste and fraud within the insurance industry.

13:58So we want to make sure that the tax credits go to the people who need them. We also think that Obamacare gave the health insurance industry a lot of ridiculous regulations that if we cut out, we could give people access to better health care at a lower cost. That's what we're working on. And again, I think there's a lot of agreement, actually, Margaret. That's the crazy thing about this. There's a lot of willingness to negotiate, a lot of willingness to compromise from both the moderate Democrats and certainly from the White House. But if the far left Democrats led by Chuck Schumer are going to shut down the government and refuse to open up the government unless they get everything they want, that's not a negotiation.

14:34That's a hostage shaking. And we're not going to reward that kind of behavior from Washington, D.C. All right, Mr. Vice President, thank you for your time this morning. Face Nation will be back. Stay with us. We always recommend Shopify. It took us from an idea to a real business. We got set up, I think, in less than a day with very little effort. We could just focus on the supply chains and the product development. Shopify gives us the ability to customize without the complexity. We can change something without introducing fragility or having to pay a developer. We're Thirsty Turtle and we leveled up our business with Shopify.

15:11Start your free trial at shopify.com slash au. We turn now to the Foreign Minister of Egypt, Dr. Badr Abdelati. And he joins us this morning from Cairo. Welcome to Face the Nation. Good to be with you, Margaret. Thank you so much for hosting me. So President Trump is headed to Egypt. I know he will be meeting with President al-Sisi tomorrow in Sharm el-Sheikh to discuss this agreement about Gaza. But everything seems dependent on this hostage release and the conclusion of phase one. From what you know and hear from Hamas, will those hostages be released in the next 24 hours? Well, we are confident that the first phase of the Trump peace plan will be implemented, will be honored by all parts concerns.

16:06And we are moving ahead. We are very hopeful that the first phase will be completed. in all honesty from the two parties. And we are in full contact with the Palestinians, with Hamas, because it's all about, of course, releasing the hostages and, of course, Israel releasing some of the Palestinian detainees, returning back some, I mean, the bodies of those who passed away. but that will take time to collect the remains, of course, and to allow the flow of all humanitarian assistance to Gaza without impediments in order to deal with the current famine and starvation in Gaza. So the vice president, who you just heard, said that President Trump has convinced a number of countries to provide ground troops to go into Gaza.

17:10Will Egypt be sending ground troops into Gaza? Well, part of the deal is, of course, the issue of security arrangement. And we are working on different levels. First of all, there are some Palestinians in Gaza. They will be trained and be deployed in Gaza. We are in the process now, as we speak, providing training and coordination with Jordan to train up to 5 ,000 Palestinians to be deployed in Gaza as well. Deployment of international force is on the table. We are supporting this idea, of course. and there are some countries expressed their readiness to deploy forces, to contribute with the forces on the ground.

18:05And we have to work now on going to the Security Council, of course, to endorse the proposal, as well as defining the main mandate of these troops on the ground. But the leader of Indonesia has already committed to 20 ,000 troops. Is Egypt going to commit troops? Do you have a number? We are. We are going to support and to commit troops within specific parameters. As I mentioned, we must have a mandate by the Security Council to endorse it. And, of course, to specify the mission of the troops on the ground, which will be peacekeeping and how to provide training to the Palestinian policemen in order to do their job to have law enforcement on the ground.

19:02And, of course, to define the whole mission and for how long, because it will be a transitional one in order to help the Palestinians to assume their full responsibilities and to tell we have the realization of the Palestinian state on the ground. You are committing there to a Palestinian state. The president of the United States has given a bit more vague language. And when I pressed the secretary of state on this point just last weekend, he said this is far off in the future. How long do you think it's going to take before Palestinians are ruling Gaza and that we will see a state? Well, what's very urgent now is, of course, ending this war on the innocent civilians in Gaza.

19:56provide as much as food and medicine to the people there. And then we have to move forward with regard to the early recovery and reconstructions of Gaza. And, of course, talking about issues related to the governance and the security arrangement in Gaza. And, of course, from our point of view, the end game, The final comprehensive solution will be the realization of the Palestinian state, because without that, we are confident through we have to draw lessons from the past that without solving the Palestinian cause, which is the core of the conflict in the region, without respecting the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinians to have their own statehood.

20:48You know, there is no peace and stability in the region. And the Trump peace plan, it refers to the statehood. And, of course, 144 countries voted in favor of the two-state solution in New York recently. So this is a game on town. Well, again, that's going to seemingly take a lot of time. I want to go back to the question of security because it is essential for rebuilding and share with you some of what the United Nations estimates here. B.U.N. says 92 percent of housing units in Gaza are destroyed or damaged. Almost 92 percent of schools will require full reconstruction or rehab. Seventy seven percent of the total road network has been damaged.

21:37Eighty six percent of total cropland is destroyed. How much is this going to cost and where is this money coming from? Well, first of all, we have full confidence on the leadership of President Trump and his vision for peace. He's the only person who is capable to end the war and to open a new chapter in the Middle East, a chapter of hope, of prosperity and peace for all peoples, including, of course, the Israeli people, the Palestinians and all peoples in our region. So we are very appreciative. We are commanding his leadership and we are in full support of his vision and his leadership. This is one.

22:26Number two, we are working very hard now with regard to convening an international conference in cooperation between Egypt and the United States, as well as with a lot of partners, including Germany, European Union, France, Italy, Spain, Qatar, Gulf Cooperation Council, Japan. Everybody is standing ready to participate in this conference for the reconstruction and redevelopment of Gaza. It will be a merge between the Arab and Islamic plan for the reconstruction and the Trump peace plan. So I met today with the Deputy Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs of the United Nations, Tom Fletcher.

23:17and we are working very hard now for having a final assessment report. Well, we'll look for that number to be released in the future. Mr. Foreign Minister, I have to leave it there for now. Good luck with the conference. Be sure to tune in tomorrow to our CBS News coverage of the Israel hostage release. CBS Morning's co-host Tony DeCoppo will report live from Israel. Hey, this is Richard Deitch, the host of the Sports Media Podcast. If you're interested in what's happening with all the places where you consume sports, the Sports Media Podcast has you covered. I've been turning down interviews all week.

23:59Hoda Kopi reached out, Oprah, George Stephanopoulos. So I said, no, I was booked on the Deitch Podcast before the Taylor Swift phenomenon. I must live up to my responsibility. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

24:25And welcome back to Face the Nation. There are 200 U.S. troops going to Israel to help coordinate the Israel-Hamas ceasefire. They've begun arriving ahead of tomorrow's expected hostage release. Our Deborah Pata reports now from East Jerusalem. More than 400 ,000 Israelis crammed into hostage square last night. To the hostages themselves, our brothers and sisters, you are coming home. A hero's welcome for Middle East envoy Steve Whitcoff, flanked by President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. To Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. But Whitcoff was never going to convince a crowd who have lived through heartbreak, despair and rage and accused Prime Minister Netanyahu of abandoning hostages in Gaza.

25:23Retired General Israel Ziv, who rushed to save lives during the October 7 Hamas attack, believes this deal could have been sealed over a year ago. It's late. The costs were very high, internally and externally. I think that politically Israel lost their name in the wall because we went maybe too far in Gaza. I think the attack in Doha was also, you know, one step too much. But in the end, it brought at least the president Trump to take the right decision to stop the war. The ceasefire is still holding. 48 hostages, living and dead, will be exchanged for 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences and 1 ,700 detained since October 2023.

26:20The deadline is Monday. As Israeli troops withdrew to an agreed-upon line within Gaza, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians started the long walk home. Almost the entire population has been displaced. We enjoy the moment right now. And personally, I'm going home, despite the fact that maybe we are a pile of rubbish. Even though home is unrecognizable for so many, Palestinians are desperate to reclaim memories of life before the war. I will just live in a tent near the rubble of my home, said Umm Mohamed Samur, until I can find a solution. The pain of loss is everywhere. More than 67 ,000 people have been killed, according to Gaza's health ministry.

27:15And mines too have been shattered by this war. 14-year-old Karim was so traumatized, he couldn't remember where he once lived.