US government shutdown enters second week

Trump

The US government shutdown entered its second week on Monday, with no sign of a deal between President Donald Trump’s Republicans and Democrats to end the crisis.

Democrats are refusing to provide the handful of votes the ruling Republicans need to reopen federal departments unless the two sides can agree on extending expiring “Obamacare” health care subsidies.

With the government out of money since Wednesday and grinding to a halt, Senate Democrats looked set to vote against a House-passed temporary funding bill for a fifth time.The hard line taken by Democrats marks a rare moment of leverage for the opposition party in a period when Trump and his ultra-loyal Republicans control every branch of government — and Trump himself is accused of seeking to amass authoritarian-like powers.

With funding not renewed, non-critical services are being suspended.

Salaries for hundreds of thousands of public sector employees are set to be withheld from Friday, while military personnel could miss their first paycheck on October 15.

And Trump has radically upped the ante by threatening to fire large numbers of government employees, rather than just furlough them, as has been done in every other shutdown over the years.

Republicans are digging in their heels, with House Speaker Mike Johnson telling his members not even to come to Congress unless the Democrats cave.

“House Republicans think protecting the health care of everyday Americans is less important than their vacation,” Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement.