WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Wednesday, it will mark the second-longest government shutdown in US history. There still seems there’s no way of getting out of this funding fight.
In total, it’s been 21 days since the government shut down. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R- SD) told reporters he believes the President is willing to sit down with democrats. He adds that Trump wants the Democrats to approve of their short-term continuing resolution and then he said the Senate can then later vote on extending the Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies, which is at the heart of the Democrat’s fight. If they take up the ACA as a separate vote, it’s not likely to pass.
The President hosted Senate Republicans at the White House on Tuesday as a celebration for their united front on the shutdown. Senator Thune maintains there’s nothing for them to negotiate with the Democrats on the CR and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D- NY) is criticizing the get-together.
“Senate Republicans, well, they’re at the White House today not for negotiations or any path out of the shutdown but for a pep rally,” said Senator Schumer during a press conference. “So as millions of Americans continue to endure the pain in one of the longest shutdowns in American history, Republicans will be celebrating keeping it going. Isn’t that a disgrace?”
Senator Thune responds to a question about the two parties not talking or negotiating to end the shut down:
“I think we are- we have negotiated,” said Senator Thune, who then laughed. “I don’t know what there is to negotiate. This is about opening the government. We’ve offered them several offramps now. The Democrats now want something totally untenable.”
As the shutdown continues, the effects of the shutdown continue to get worse. Federal workers might miss another paycheck; nearly 14-hundred workers that oversee our nuclear arsenal were furloughed; And if it continues, some worry it could further negatively impact our economy.
