Copyright brecorder
WASHINGTON: The US government shutdown on Tuesday entered its 35th day, matching a record set during President Donald Trump’s first term for the longest in history, as Republicans and Democrats in Congress continue to blame each other for the standoff. The toll increases by the day. Food assistance for the poor was halted for the first time, federal workers from airports to law enforcement and the military are going unpaid and the economy is flying blind with limited government reporting. The Senate has voted more than a dozen times against a stopgap funding measure passed by the House of Representatives, and no lawmakers have changed their position. Trump’s Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate but need votes from at least seven Democrats to meet the chamber’s 60-vote threshold for most legislation. Democrats are withholding their votes to extract an extension of some healthcare insurance subsidies. “The victims of the Democrats’ shutdown are starting to pile up,” Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune said on Monday. “The question is how long are Democrats going to continue this. Another month? Two? Three?” His Democratic counterpart Chuck Schumer on Monday pointed out how Trump’s attention has been focused elsewhere. “While Donald Trump is bragging about remodeling bathrooms at the White House, Americans are panicking about how they will afford healthcare next year,” Schumer said, referring to a remodeling Trump unveiled on Friday. On Monday, however, there was talk rippling through the Senate that closed-door conversations between the two parties might be making some progress. The 15th shutdown since 1981 stands out not just for its length. It has inverted the normal partisan dynamic in which shutdowns have often been provoked by Republicans. In addition, little effort has been put into ending this latest shutdown. The House has been out of session since September 19 and Trump has repeatedly left Washington. “The political climate and the tensions that exist between the parties were so wide at the beginning of the shutdown, and even though bipartisan talks have continued through it, remain at this point still just as wide,” said Rachel Snyderman, managing director of economic policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center. Food assistance for approximately 42 million Americans in the SNAP program ran out on Saturday. Many families are now without the approximately $180 per month on average of food stamps. The Trump administration on Monday said it would partially fund November food benefits but warned that it could take weeks or months for the aid to be distributed. A portion of Head Start early learning programs for low-income children also faces some closed doors as new funding was not available on November 1. Federal workers like law enforcement and members of the military are now missing paychecks, as are airport security screeners and air traffic controllers, resulting in staffing challenges and travel delays.
