Government shutdown on track to become longest in history
Twenty-seven days into the government shutdown, the immediate outlook for the reopening of the federal government is grim.
President Donald Trump is thousands of miles from Washington on a trade trip to Asia, the U.S. House has not been in session for more than a month and Democrats in the U.S. Senate have blocked a GOP short-term spending bill on a dozen consecutive votes.
Tensions between congressional Republicans and Democrats have only intensified in the more than three weeks since the shutdown began on Oct. 1.
Each day on Capitol Hill is a blame game between leaders of both parties, with virtually no sign of efforts at legislative compromise.
House Speaker Mike Johnson has repeatedly accused Democrats of playing “political games” to try to get negotiations on extending federal subsidies for the Affordable Care Act, which expire at the end of the year.
“They’re using all of these people — hard working Americans and their families — as leverage for their political purposes to cover their own tails with the radical left,” Johnson said recently.
In turn, Democratic leaders have blasted the president and Republicans, arguing they are putting millions of Americans at risk of paying soaring health insurance costs.
“They can’t find a moment to talk with Democrats, to find a bipartisan solution forward to reopen the government and to address the health care crisis that they are inflicting on the American people,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
The shutdown is currently the second-longest in history. After this week, it could be on the way to beating the longest on record, which was 34 days. No president in D.C., no deal to reopen the government.
U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said he is “astonished and beyond disappointed” that the president decided to leave Washington to take part in trade talks in Asia this week, while the shutdown drags on.
Like many Democrats, Warner believes that the only way the shutdown will end is if the president agrees to discuss a pathway toward an agreement.
“For him to jet off now to international meetings means that it’s virtually impossible to get this resolved, because no Republican will do anything without Donald Trump’s blessing, ” Warner said.
Warner, a moderate Democrat, has worked across the aisle with Republicans numerous times over the years. He has been part of the so-called “gangs” — bipartisan groups of senators — who have worked behind the scenes to reach difficult agreements. But he said this impasse is different.
Warner said the Senate Republicans that he’s worked with in the past privately acknowledge to him that can’t do much, without a sign-off from Trump.
“There can’t be an independent solution that doesn’t involve Donald Trump is my fear,” Warner said.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune has said he would be open to discussing an extension of the ACA subsidies with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, but not until Democrats stop holding the country “hostage” and the government is reopened.
Shutdown is taking a growing toll on federal workers
Hundreds of thousands of federal workers went without their first full paycheck last week due to the shutdown.
Members of both parties proposed bills that would have taken steps to pay more federal workers and U.S. troops during the shutdown, but both failed.
U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., tried to pass a bill by unanimous consent that would have provided pay for all federal employees and contractors and prohibited the Trump administration from firing more federal workers during the shutdown.
It was objected to by U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wi., who brought up his own bill to extend payments during the shutdown to excepted federal workers — including air traffic controllers — as well as military personnel.
Democrats prevented it from advancing on a floor vote. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said air traffic controllers will fail to get a paycheck this Tuesday.
That affects close to 13,000 air traffic controllers. In addition, about 50,000 Transportation Security Administration employees are working without pay.
Duffy warned during a Capitol Hill news conference that air travelers could feel the impact of controllers calling out, including those who are taking second jobs to make ends meet.
Duffy said air safety is “paramount” and if there is not enough staffing in airport towers, there will be consequences.
“You will see us delay traffic. You will see us cancel flights, because I want you to get to where you’re going … and get there safely,” Duffy said.