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The ongoing government shutdown has become the longest in United States history as Americans brace for further travel chaos and extended uncertainty around food aid. On Wednesday, the shutdown entered a 36th day - surpassing the 35 day record which was set during President Donald Trump's first term. As Democrats and Republicans both refuse to budge on their demands, they have disrupted the lives of millions of Americans with federal program cuts, flight delays and federal workers nationwide left without paychecks. Trump has refused to negotiate with Democrats over their demands to salvage expiring health insurance subsidies until they agree to reopen the government. But Democrats are skeptical over whether he will keep his word, particularly after the administration restricted SNAP food aid despite court orders to ensure funds are available to prevent hunger. On Tuesday night, as the Republican party saw sweeping election losses in Virginia, New York and New Jersey, Trump partially blamed the shutdown for turning voters against his party. But Democrats have also been copping mounting scrutiny even from their closest allies, with union leaders demanding they agree to pass a Republican bill which would temporarily alleviate the pressures. 'We're exploring all the options,' Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said following a meeting with colleagues on Tuesday afternoon. 'Families are opening their health care bills and wondering how they'll pay them. That's the reality. So we're going to keep fighting day after day, vote after vote, until Republicans put working families ahead of the wealthy few.' Hours before the shutdown record toppled at midnight, the administration sounded the alarm over turmoil at airports nationwide if the crisis drags beyond a sixth week, with worsening staff shortages forcing airports to close down sections of airspace. 'So if you bring us to a week from today, Democrats, you will see mass chaos...you will see mass flight delays,' Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said. 'You'll see mass cancellations, and you may see us close certain parts of the airspace, because we just cannot manage it because we don't have the air traffic controllers.' In all, as many as 1.4million federal workers, including 60,000 air traffic controllers, are being forced to work without pay or have been stood down. While both sides' leadership have shown little appetite for compromise, there have been signs of life on the back benches, with a handful of moderate Democrats working to find an escape hatch. A separate bipartisan group of four centrist House members unveiled a compromise framework Monday for lowering health insurance costs. Democrats believe that millions of Americans seeing skyrocketing premiums as they enroll into health insurance programs for next year will pressure Republicans into seeking compromise. But Trump has held firm on refusing to negotiate, telling CBS News in an interview broadcast Sunday that he would 'not be extorted.' The president has sought to apply his own pressure to force Democrats to cave by threatening mass layoffs of federal workers and using the shutdown to target progressive priorities. Trump on Tuesday repeated his administration's threat to cut off a vital aid program that helps 42 million Americans pay for groceries for the first time in its more than 60-year history, even though the move was blocked by two courts. He wrote on Truth Social that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits 'will be given only when those Radical Left Democrats open up the government, which they can easily do, and not before!' The move sent instant shockwaves through the 42million Americans who rely on the benefits and sparked instant rebukes from legal organizations. A court had earlier ordered the administration to partially fund the program to ensure Americans do not go hungry. The White House later clarified that it was 'fully complying' with its legal obligations. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration was working to get partial SNAP payments 'out the door as much as we can and as quickly as we can.' The partial funding agreement means some households will receive half their usual monthly allowance, but many will take home less than that.
