WASHINGTON — Longest government shutdown the story could end as early as Wednesday, Day 43, and almost no one will be happy with the final result.
Democrats didn't get health insurance regulations they requested an addition to the costs agreement. And Republicans, who control the levers of power in Washington, have not escaped blame, according to polls and polls. some state and local elections it went badly for them.
The consequences of the quarantine affected millions of Americans, including federal workers who were left without pay and airline passengers who were on business trips. postponed or canceled. The break in nutrition assistance programs contributed to long lines at food banks and added emotional stress ahead of the holiday season.
Agreement includes bipartisan bills developed by the Senate Appropriations Committee to fund parts of the government, food assistance, veterans' programs and the Legislature, among others. All remaining funding would be extended through the end of January, giving lawmakers more than two months to finalize additional spending bills.
Here's how the shutdown began and will likely end:
Democrats made several demands to win their support for the short-term funding bill, but chief among them was an expansion of the expanded tax credit this reduces the cost of health insurance obtained through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces.
The tax credit was extended during the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, again thanks to President Joe Biden's big energy and health care bills, and is set to expire at the end of December. Without it, insurance premiums for millions of Americans would more than double on average. The Congressional Budget Office projects that more than 2 million people will lose health insurance next year.
“Never before have American families faced a situation where their health care costs would double—double in the blink of an eye,” said Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
While Democrats have called for negotiations on the issue, Republicans have said a funding bill must be passed first.
“Republicans are ready to come to the table with Democrats as soon as they stop holding the government hostage to their partisan demands,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.
Thune eventually promised Democrats a December vote on extending the tax cuts to help resolve the standoff, but many Democrats wanted a guaranteed solution rather than just a vote that would likely fail.
Thune's position is largely similar to the one Schumer took in October 2013, when Republicans unsuccessfully tried to repeal parts of the Affordable Care Act in exchange for funding the government. “Open up the whole government so we can have a fruitful discussion,” Schumer said at the time.
In the first year of President Donald Trump's second term, more than 200,000 federal workers left their jobs through layoffs, forced relocations or the Republican administration's delayed retirement program, according to the Partnership for Public Service. Entire agencies that did not align with the administration's priorities were eliminated. And billions of dollars previously approved by Congress were frozen or cancelled.
Democrats have had to rely on the courts to block some of Trump's efforts, but they have been unable to do so through legislation. They were also powerless to stop Trump's big policies. Bill to cut taxes and suppress immigration which Republicans helped pay for by cutting future spending on safety net programs like Medicaid and SNAP, formerly known as food stamps.
Democratic efforts to weaken the Trump administration's priorities have prompted the party's congressional leadership to take stronger action.
Schumer experienced this firsthand when he announced in March that he would support moving forward with the 2025 budget year funding bill. There was a protest at his office, with progressives calling on him to run in the 2028 primaries and suggesting the Democratic Party would soon be looking for new leaders.
This time, Schumer demanded that Republicans negotiate with Democrats to get their votes on a spending bill. Senate rules, he noted, require bipartisan support to reach the 60-vote threshold needed to advance a spending bill.
But those negotiations did not happen, at least not with Schumer. Instead, Republicans worked with a small group of eight Democrats to craft a short-term bill to fund the overall government at current levels and accused Schumer of pandering to the party's left when he refused to do so.
“Senate Democrats are afraid that the radicals in their party will say they have given up,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, said at one of his many daily news conferences.
The political stakes of the lockdown are enormous, so leaders from both parties are holding almost daily press briefings to shape public opinion.
About 6 in 10 Americans say Trump and congressional Republicans bear “a lot” or “quite a little” responsibility for the lockdown, while 54% say the same about congressional Democrats, according to a poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
At least three-quarters of Americans believe that each of them deserves at least a “moderate” share of the blame, emphasizing that no one has successfully escaped responsibility.
Both parties have looked to the Nov. 4 elections in Virginia, New Jersey and elsewhere for signs of how the shutdown will affect public opinion. The Democrats took comfort in their stunning successes. Trump called it a “big negative” for Republicans. But this did not change the Republican Party's position in the negotiations. Instead, Trump has stepped up calls for Republicans to end the Senate filibuster, which would largely eliminate the need for the majority party to ever negotiate with the minority.
This was reported by the US Congressional Budget Office. negative impact on the economy will be mostly restored after the shutdown is completed, but not completely. He estimated permanent economic losses at approximately $11 billion for a six-week shutdown.
Beyond the numbers, however, the shutdown has created a cascade of problems for many Americans. Federal employees missed paychecks, causing financial and emotional stress. The travelers had their flights are delayed and sometimes were cancelled. People who rely on safety net programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program have seen their benefits stoppedand Americans across the country lined up for food at food banks.
“This dysfunction is doing enough harm to our constituents and the economy here at home, but it also sends a dangerous message to the watching world,” said Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan. “It demonstrates to our allies that we are an unreliable partner and signals to our adversaries that we cannot work together to meet even the most fundamental responsibilities of Congress.”
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Follow AP's coverage of the federal government shutdown at https://apnews.com/hub/government-shutdown.
