The government shutdown becomes the longest ever as the fallout spreads across the country

WASHINGTON — The government shutdown has entered its 36th day, breaking the record longest ever And disrupting lives of millions of Americans with federal program cuts, flight delays and federal employees across the country left without pay slips.

President Donald Trump has refused to negotiate with Democrats to end their bailout demands subsidies for health insurance until they agree to reopen the government. But skeptical Democrats wonder whether the Republican president will keep his word, especially after the administration limited SNAP food assistanceDespite court orders to ensure that money is available to prevent hunger.

Trump, whose first term in the White House set the tone previous record of government shutdownwill meet early Wednesday for a breakfast with GOP senators. But no talks are planned with the Democrats.

“Why is this happening? We are in a shutdown because our colleagues are unwilling to come to the table to talk about one simple thing: health care premiums,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said in a late evening speech.

“Stop this mess, come to the table and negotiate it,” she said.

Of Trump is largely on the sidelinesTalks have intensified between a loose coalition of centrist senators seeking to end the impasse. Expectations are high that the deadlock will break once election results are fully tallied in the off-year races, which were widely viewed as a gauge of voter sentiment about Trump’s second term in the White House. Democrats won key contests for governor in Virginia and New Jersey, and for mayor of New York City, which would certainly shake up political ratings.

But earlier in the afternoon, Senate Democrats left an hours-long private meeting stone-faced, with no clear path forward.

“We are exploring all options” Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said afterwards.

Trump’s approach to this shutdown is in stark contrast to his first term, when the government was partially shut down for 35 days due to his demands for money to build the economy. the border wall between the US and Mexico. At the time, he publicly met and negotiated with congressional leaders, but unable to secure the funds, he relented in 2019.

This time it is not just Trump who refuses to participate in talks. Congress leaders are at a stalemate Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson, R-La., sent lawmakers packing in September after passing their own funding bill and refusing further negotiations.

In the meantime, food aid Childcare funds and countless other government services are severely disrupted and hundreds of thousands of federal employees have been laid off or expected to come to work without pay.

Transport Minister Sean Duffy predicted this would be possible chaos in the air next week when air traffic controllers miss another paycheck. Unions are putting pressure on lawmakers to reopen the government.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said this was not only the longest shutdown, but also “the most severe shutdown ever.”

The Republican leader has urged Democrats to accept his overtures to vote on the health care issue and continue negotiating a solution once the government reopens, arguing that no one gains politically from the impasse.

“Shutdowns suck,” Thune said.

At the heart of any endgame will be a series of agreements that must be honored not only by the Senate, but also by the House of Representatives and the White House, which is not at all certain in Washington.

First, senators from both parties, especially the powerful members of the Appropriations Committee, are pushing to ensure that the normal government financing process can be put back on track in Congress.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., are working with several Democrats, including Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire and Chris Coons of Delaware are among those working behind the scenes.

“The pace of conversations has increased,” said Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., who has been involved in the talks.

One goal is to secure upcoming votes on a smaller package of bills that already have widespread bipartisan agreement to fund various aspects of government, such as agricultural programs and military base construction projects.

“I certainly think this package of three bills will do a lot of good things for the American people,” said Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., who was also on the call.

What’s more difficult is that a substantial number of senators also want a solution to the impasse over funding for Affordable Care Act subsidies, which are set to expire at the end of the year.

As insurance premium notices are sent out, millions of Americans are experiencing sticker shock from the skyrocketing prices. The loss of increased federal subsidies, introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic and coming in the form of tax credits, is expected to leave many people in dire straits. cannot take out health insurance.

Republicans are reluctant to fund the health care program, also known as Obamacare, without reforms, but negotiating a compromise with Democrats is expected to take time, if an agreement can be reached at all.

Thune has promised Democrats at least a vote on their preferred health care proposal at a certain date as part of a deal to reopen the government. But that’s not enough for some senators, who see the health care impasse as part of their broader concerns about Trump’s direction for the country.

The White House says its position remains unchanged and that Democrats must vote to fund the government before health care talks can begin. White House officials are in close contact with Republican senators who have been speaking quietly with key Senate Democrats, a senior White House official said. The official was granted anonymity to discuss the governance strategy.

The president has pushed senators to overturn the filibuster — the Senate rule that requires 60 votes to advance most legislation — as a way to reopen the government.

Republican senators have scrutinized Trump’s demands to end the filibuster, in a rare public break with the president. Thune and others argue that Senate rule, while sometimes infuriating, allows the minority party to keep an eye on the government, which is important when power in Washington changes.

But in the current Senate, where Republicans have a slim majority, 53 to 47, Democrats managed to block the House-passed bill that would fund the government after voting against it more than a dozen times.

Trump has said abolishing the filibuster would be a way for Republicans to bypass Democrats and end the shutdown on their own. Republican senators are trying to avoid that outcome.

___

Associated Press writers Kevin Freking, Stephen Groves, Seung Min Kim and Matt Brown contributed to this report.