- Trump refuses to negotiate until Democrats reopen the government, declaring "I won't be extorted" and demanding zero concessions before talks.
- The shutdown's human toll mounts—missed paychecks, air-traffic delays, and endangered SNAP benefits for millions amid court fights and brinkmanship.
In the shadow of the White House, where President Donald Trump strode back from a sun-soaked Florida getaway under a barrage of camera flashes, the nation’s most punishing government shutdown teeters on the edge of infamy.
As Day 35 dawns, this partisan deadlock—fueled by clashing visions for health care and Senate power—threatens to eclipse the 35-day record set during Trump’s first term.
Federal workers brace for another missed paycheck, airports grind toward gridlock, and 42 million Americans reliant on food assistance face a gut-wrenching cliff.
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The human toll is mounting fast.
Air traffic controllers, already stretched thin, are logging overtime without pay, sparking delays that rippled through hubs like Newark Liberty International Airport over the weekend.
“The average delay is about 2 hours, and some flights are more than 3 hours late,” New York City’s emergency management department warned on Sunday, pinning the chaos on “staffing shortages in the control tower.”
Even graver is the specter hanging over the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
The Department of Agriculture briefly halted $8 billion in payments last Saturday, only for two federal judges to intervene and mandate funding.
Yet Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union,” struck a defiant note: “The best way for SNAP benefits to get paid is for Democrats—for five Democrats to cross the aisle and reopen the government.”
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries fired back on the same network, branding the Republican stance as callous gamesmanship.
“But somehow they can’t find money to make sure that Americans don’t go hungry,” Jeffries said, accusing Trump and his allies of “weaponize[ing] hunger.”
The standoff underscores a brutal reality: While the administration has rerouted funds for other priorities amid the closure, SNAP’s lifeline remains tangled in court battles and congressional brinkmanship.
Trump’s Unyielding Line: No Talks Without Reopening
At the heart of the impasse is a familiar Trumpian refrain: zero concessions without victory.
In a primetime “60 Minutes” interview aired Sunday, the president dismissed Democratic demands for negotiations on extending Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies—temporary boosts from the COVID-19 era set to lapse on January 1, potentially spiking premiums for millions.
“I won’t be extorted” by Democrats, Trump declared, echoing GOP lawmakers who’ve conditioned any dialogue on first unlocking federal operations.
He lambasted the ACA as “terrible,” vowing that if Democrats vote to reopen the government, “we will work on fixing the bad health care that we have right now.”
On the party’s trajectory, Trump predicted swift capitulation: “I think they have to. And if they don’t vote, it’s their problem.”
Trump’s rhetoric has only hardened lines.
He’s taken to social media jabs, including a video of Jeffries in a Mexican sombrero, and the White House site now hosts a mocking “My Space” parody page for Democrats: “We just love playing politics with people’s livelihoods.”
Senate Democrats, led by Chuck Schumer, have rebuffed 13 Republican motions to end the shutdown without ACA concessions, insisting on good-faith talks.
“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,” Schumer said last week.
Filibuster Fury: Trump’s Radical Senate Overhaul Bid
Compounding the drama, Trump has revived a long-shot crusade to dismantle the Senate filibuster—a procedural shield requiring 60 votes to advance most legislation.
Speaking from the White House South Lawn after his Florida return, the president urged Republicans to “get tougher,” arguing the rule, while once useful for blocking Democratic agendas, now hampers their majority.
“If we end the filibuster, we can do exactly what we want,” Trump told CBS interviewer Lesley Stahl.
He expressed frustration with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., saying, “I like Thune but I disagree with him on this point.”
Thune’s office confirmed Friday that the leader’s stance remains unchanged, viewing the filibuster as a “vital” institutional guardrail.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., echoed that sentiment on Fox News Sunday, calling it a “safeguard” against “far-left policies.”
The push arrives at a precarious moment for Thune and his caucus.
With the shutdown’s bite deepening—evident in scenes like disabled Marine veteran Brock Brooks tearfully queuing for food pantry aid in Louisville, Kentucky—Republicans are courting moderate Democrats for crossover votes.
Thune implored on the Senate floor Thursday: “We need five with a backbone to say we care more about the lives of the American people than about gaining some political leverage.”
Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., hinted at glimmers of progress on ABC’s “This Week,” describing “a group of people talking about a path to fix the health care debacle” tied to pledges against further federal layoffs.
Yet Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., tempered optimism on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” pinning any breakthrough on Trump’s direct involvement: “Republicans can’t move on anything without a Trump sign off.”
Echoes of 2018: A Shutdown That Could Redefine Limits
This crisis mirrors the 2018-2019 wall-funding fiasco that shuttered agencies for 35 days, ending only when Trump relented amid airport snarls and worker hardships.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy evoked those scars on ABC Sunday: Many furloughed employees now “confronted with a decision… Do I put food on my kids’ table, do I put gas in the car, do I pay my rent or do I go to work and not get paid?”
As the impasse enters its sixth week, ACA marketplaces—booming with record enrollments, per Democrats—face subsidy evaporation, while SNAP recipients like Brooks confront empty shelves.
Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, the GOP whip, and Johnson huddled last month at the Capitol, projecting unity but little yield.
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