WASHINGTON: The US government shutdown stretched into its third day Friday, with no end in sight as partisan deadlock in Congress deepened.
The Senate once again blocked both Republican and Democratic funding bills, leaving negotiations stalled until at least Monday, when the chamber is scheduled to resume votes. The House of Representatives has cancelled all votes for next week and will not reconvene until October 14, NBC News reported.
Republicans, led by Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), said they will not negotiate unless Democrats agree to the GOP’s short-term funding plan. “What’s in the best interest of the American people is keeping the government open and operating,” Thune said, accusing Democrats of holding the government “hostage.”
Democrats, meanwhile, have refused to back the Republican bill, which lacks provisions to extend expiring Obamacare subsidies and instead retains Medicaid cuts introduced under former President Donald Trump. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) declared: “Donald Trump and the Republicans own this shutdown.”
Four national polls show Americans blaming Trump and Republicans more than Democrats for the impasse. On the Senate floor, Schumer called it “day three of the Trump shutdown” and argued GOP proposals would raise health care premiums and strip millions of coverage.
The Democratic bill, which would fund the government through October 31, has failed to gain Republican support. Recent votes saw only three Democratic caucus members — Sens. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Angus King (I-Maine), and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) — side with the GOP. Republicans need at least five more Democratic votes to advance their measure past a filibuster.
With Congress deadlocked and lawmakers dispersed, the shutdown is set to continue for at least another week.
