WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� The is poised to become the longest ever this week as the impasse between Democrats and Republicans has dragged into a new month. Millions of people stand to lose food aid benefits, health care subsidies are set to expire and there are few real talks between the parties over how to end it.
President said in an interview that aired Sunday that he 鈥渨on’t be extorted鈥� by Democrats who are demanding negotiations to extend the expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies. Echoing congressional Republicans, the president said on CBS’ 鈥�60 Minutes鈥� he’ll negotiate only when the government is reopened.
Trump said Democrats 鈥渉ave lost their way鈥� and predicted they鈥檒l capitulate to Republicans.
鈥淚 think they have to,鈥� Trump said. 鈥淎nd if they don鈥檛 vote, it鈥檚 their problem.鈥�
Trump鈥檚 comments signal the shutdown could drag on for some time as federal workers, including air traffic controllers, are set to miss additional paychecks and there’s uncertainty over whether 42 million Americans who receive federal food aid . Senate Democrats have voted 13 times against reopening the government, insisting they need Trump and Republicans to negotiate with them first.
The president also reiterated his pleas to Republican leaders to . Senate Republicans have repeatedly rejected that idea since Trump’s first term, arguing in the Senate is vital to the institution and has allowed them to stop Democratic policies when they’re in the minority.
Trump said that’s true, but 鈥渨e’re here right now.”
鈥淩epublicans have to get tougher,鈥� Trump told CBS. 鈥淚f we end the filibuster, we can do exactly what we want.鈥�
With the two parties at a standstill, the shutdown, now in its 34th day and approaching its sixth week, appears likely to become the longest in history. The previous record was set in 2019, when Trump demanded Congress give him money for a U.S.-Mexico border wall.
A potentially decisive week
Trump鈥檚 push on the filibuster could prove a distraction for Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Republican senators who’ve opted instead to stay the course become more acute.
Republicans are hoping at least some Democrats will eventually switch their votes as moderates have been in weekslong talks with rank-and-file Republicans about potential compromises that could guarantee votes on health care in exchange for reopening the government. Republicans need five additional Democrats to pass their bill.
Thune told reporters Monday that he was 鈥渙ptimistic鈥� that the Senate could vote to reopen the government by the end of the week.
But he also added, 鈥淚f we don鈥檛 start seeing some progress or some evidence of that by at least the middle of this week, it鈥檚 hard to see how we would finish anything by the end of the week.鈥�
Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, a Democrat, said on ABC鈥檚 鈥淭his Week鈥� on Sunday there’s a group of people talking about 鈥漚 path to fix the health care debacle鈥� and a commitment from Republicans not to fire more federal workers. But it鈥檚 unclear if those talks could produce a meaningful compromise.
Far apart on health care subsidies
Trump said in the 鈥�60 Minutes鈥� interview that the Affordable Care Act 鈥� often known as Obamacare because it was signed and championed by then-President Barack Obama 鈥� is “terrible” and if the Democrats vote to reopen the government, 鈥渨e will work on fixing the bad health care that we have right now.鈥�
Democrats feel differently, arguing that the marketplaces set up by the ACA are working as of Americans have signed up for the coverage. But they want to extend subsidies first enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic so on Jan. 1.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said last week that 鈥渨e want to sit down with Thune, with (House Speaker Mike) Johnson, with Trump, and negotiate a way to address this horrible health care crisis.”
No appetite for bipartisanship
As Democrats have pushed Trump and Republicans to negotiate, Trump has showed . He called for an end to the Senate filibuster after while the government was shut down.
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on Fox 草莓传媒 Channel’s 鈥淪unday Morning Futures鈥� that the president has spoken directly to Thune and Johnson about the filibuster. But a spokesman for Thune said Friday that his position hasn鈥檛 changed, and Johnson said Sunday that he believes the filibuster has traditionally been a 鈥渟afeguard鈥� from far-left policies.
Trump said on 鈥�60 Minutes鈥� that he likes Thune but “I disagree with him on this point.鈥�
The president has spent much of the shutdown mocking Democrats, posting videos of House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries in a . The White House website is now featuring a satirical 鈥淢y Space鈥� page for Democrats, a parody based on the social media site that was popular in the early 2000s. 鈥淲e just love playing politics with people鈥檚 livelihoods,鈥� the page reads.
Democrats have repeatedly said that they need Trump to get serious and weigh in. Virginia Sen. Mark Warner said that he hopes the shutdown could end 鈥渢his week鈥� because Trump is back in Washington.
Republicans 鈥渃an鈥檛 move on anything without a Trump sign off,鈥� Warner said on 鈥淔ace the Nation鈥� on CBS.
Record-breaking shutdown
The that lasted from December 2018 to January 2019 ended when Trump retreated from his demands over a border wall. That came amid intensifying delays at the nation鈥檚 airports and multiple missed paydays for hundreds of thousands of federal workers.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on ABC’s 鈥淭his Week鈥� that there have already been delays at several airports 鈥渁nd it鈥檚 only going to get worse.鈥�
Many of the workers are 鈥渃onfronted with a decision,鈥� he said. 鈥淒o I put food on my kids鈥� table, do I put gas in the car, do I pay my rent or do I go to work and not get paid?”
As , New York City’s emergency management department posted on Sunday that Newark Airport was under a ground delay because of 鈥渟taffing shortages in the control tower” and that they were limiting arrivals to the airport.
鈥淭he average delay is about 2 hours, and some flights are more than 3 hours late,鈥� the account posted.
SNAP crisis
Also in the crossfire are the 42 million Americans who receive SNAP benefits. The Department of Agriculture to the food program starting on Saturday until the administration to fund it.
The Trump administration indicated in court Monday that it will only this month by using a $4.65 billion emergency fund. That left the program in uncertainty with no clear indication of how much beneficiaries will receive or when their cards will be loaded to buy groceries.
House Democratic leader Jeffries, D-N.Y., accused Trump and Republicans of attempting to 鈥渨eaponize hunger.鈥� He said that the administration has managed to find ways for funding other priorities during the shutdown, but is slow-walking pushing out SNAP benefits despite the court orders.
鈥淏ut somehow they can鈥檛 find money to make sure that Americans don鈥檛 go hungry,鈥� Jeffries said in an appearance on CNN’s 鈥淪tate of the Union.鈥�
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Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani contributed to this report.
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