Government Shutdown Could Be Longest Ever, Trump Says

The government shutdown is poised to become the longest in history this week, as the impasse between Democrats and Republicans has stretched into a new month. Millions of people could lose food aid benefits, health care subsidies are about to expire, and there is little real talk between the parties about how to end it.

President Donald Trump said in an interview broadcast Sunday that he “will not be extorted” by Democrats demanding negotiations to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies that expire at the end of the year for millions of Americans. Echoing congressional Republicans, the president said on News’ “60 Minutes” that he will negotiate only when the government reopens.

Trump’s comments indicate that the shutdown could last for some time, as federal workers, including air traffic controllers, will lose additional paychecks and there is uncertainty over whether 42 million Americans receiving federal food aid will be able to access the assistance. Senate Democrats have voted 13 times against reopening the government, insisting they need Trump and Republicans to negotiate with them first.

The president said Democrats “have lost their way” and predicted they will capitulate to Republicans.

“I think they have to do it,” Trump said. “And if they don’t vote, that’s their problem.”

“Republicans have to get tougher,” Trump told News. “If we end the filibuster, we can do exactly what we want.”

With both parties paralyzed, the shutdown, which has now been going on for 33 days and is approaching its sixth week, looks likely to become the longest in history. The previous record was set in 2019, when Trump demanded Congress give him money for a border wall between the United States and Mexico.

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A potentially decisive week

Trump’s push on the filibuster could prove a distraction for Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-D., and Republican senators who have chosen to stay the course as the fallout from the shutdown becomes more acute.

Republicans hope that at least some Democrats will eventually give them the votes they need, as moderates have been in weeks-long talks with rank-and-file Republicans about possible compromises that could guarantee votes on health care in exchange for reopening the government. Republicans need five additional Democrats to pass their bill.

“We need five people with courage to say that we care more about the lives of the American people than about gaining any political influence,” Thune said on the Senate floor as the Senate left Washington for the weekend Thursday.

Virginia Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” that there is a group of people talking about “a path to fixing the health care debacle” and a commitment by Republicans not to lay off more federal workers. But it’s unclear whether those talks could produce meaningful compromise.

Far apart on Obamacare subsidies

Trump said in the “60 Minutes” interview that the Affordable Care Act (often known as Obamacare because it was signed and championed by then-President Barack Obama) is “terrible” and that if Democrats vote to reopen the government, “we will work to fix the bad health care we have now.”

Democrats think differently, arguing that the markets created by the ACA are working as record numbers of Americans have signed up for coverage. But they want to extend subsidies first enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic so premiums don’t increase for millions of people on Jan. 1.

“We want to sit down with Thune, with (House Speaker Mike) Johnson, with Trump, and negotiate a way to address this horrible health care crisis,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said last week.

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There is no appetite for bipartisanship

While Democrats have pressured Trump and Republicans to negotiate, Trump has shown little interest in doing so. He called for an end to the Senate filibuster after a trip to Asia while the government was shut down.

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures” that the president spoke directly with Thune and Johnson about the filibuster. But a spokesman for Thune said Friday that his position has not changed, and Johnson said Sunday that Republicans have traditionally resisted calling for an end to the filibuster because it protects them from “the worst impulses of the far-left Democratic Party.”

Trump said on “60 Minutes” that he likes Thune but “I don’t agree with him on this point.”

The president has spent much of the shutdown mocking Democrats, posting videos of House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries wearing a Mexican hat. The White House website has a satirical “My Space” page for Democrats, a parody based on the social media site that was popular in the early 2000s. “We love playing politics with people’s livelihoods,” the page reads.

Democrats have repeatedly said they need Trump to get serious and weigh in. Virginia Sen. Mark Warner said he hopes the shutdown can end “this week” because Trump is back in Washington.

Republicans “can’t move forward on anything without Trump’s approval,” Warner said on News’ “Face the Nation.”

Unprecedented closure

The 35-day shutdown that lasted from December 2018 to January 2019 ended when Trump backed away from his demands for a border wall. This came amid escalating delays at the nation’s airports and multiple missed paydays for hundreds of thousands of federal workers.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on ABC’s “This Week” that there have already been delays at several airports “and it’s only going to get worse.”

Many of the workers are facing “a decision,” he said. “Do I put food on my children’s table, put gas in the car, pay the rent, or do I go to work and not get paid?”

As flight delays mounted across the country, New York City’s emergency management department posted Sunday that Newark Airport was experiencing a ground delay due to “control tower staffing shortages” and that they were limiting arrivals at the airport.

“The average delay is approximately 2 hours and some flights are more than 3 hours late,” the account posted. “FAA planning notes show the possibility of a complete shutdown later if there are staffing shortages or demand increases.”

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SNAP crisis

House Democratic Leader Jeffries, D-N.Y., accused Trump and Republicans of trying to “weaponize hunger.” He said the administration has managed to find ways to fund other priorities during the shutdown, but is moving slowly to eliminate SNAP benefits despite court orders.

“But somehow they can’t find money to make sure Americans don’t go hungry,” Jeffries said in an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in his own appearance on CNN on Sunday, said the administration continues to wait for direction from the courts.

“The best way to get SNAP benefits paid is for Democrats — for five Democrats to cross the aisle and reopen the government,” Bessent said.

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News writer Aamer Madhani contributed to this report.