Preschool programs across the country are urgently seeking federal funding, while the agency responsible for managing the U.S. nuclear arsenal has started furloughing its 1,400 employees. Additionally, many federal workers are currently missing their paychecks.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump hosted Republican senators for a luncheon in the newly refurbished Rose Garden Club and participated in a groundbreaking ceremony for a new White House ballroom. The Republican Party is presenting a united stance, refusing to concede to Democratic demands for healthcare funding amid the ongoing government shutdown.
The event took place under clear autumn skies, creating a festive atmosphere as Trump’s favorite tunes, including “YMCA” and “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” played over the newly installed sound system.
During his opening remarks, Trump highlighted the extensive renovations happening at the White House, as senators gathered on the freshly paved garden patio. He spoke of the improvements with enthusiasm, emphasizing the transformation.
Trump took the opportunity to commend the GOP leadership, mentioning several senators by name. He criticized former President Joe Biden and outlined his forthcoming foreign travel plans and tariff policies, asserting to doubtful GOP senators that these measures are boosting the economy.
“We’re a wealthy nation again,” Trump declared.
As the government shutdown enters its fourth week – on track to become among the longest in U.S. history – the country is feeling the financial hit. Economists have warned the federal closure, leaving most the 2.4 million-strong federal workforce without pay, will shave economic growth by 0.1 to 0.2 percentage points per week.
There are few signs of any end to the stalemate. Republicans say the Democrats are holding the government hostage, beholden to far-left demands to provide billions of dollars in health care subsidies.
“Republicans are united, and I expect the president to say, ‘Stand strong,’” said Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, second in Senate GOP leadership, said early Tuesday on Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends.”
But Senate Democrats, emboldened after last weekend’s mass “No Kings” rallies against Trump’s leadership, are confident in their strategy. They have voted more than 10 times against a House-passed bill that would temporarily reopen the government until Republicans, including Trump, engage them on extending health care subsidies that expire at the end of the year.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said as GOP senators prepared to board buses to the White House, “Apparently, they’ve got plenty of time for a mini-pep rally with Donald Trump, In the meantime, the pain for Americans is getting more and more real.”
Missed paychecks and programs running out of money
While Capitol Hill remains at a standstill, the effects of the shutdown are worsening.
Federal workers are set to miss additional paychecks amid total uncertainty about when they might eventually get paid. Government services like the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, known as WIC, and Head Start preschool programs that serve needy families are facing potential cutoffs in funding. On Monday, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the National Nuclear Security Administration is furloughing 1,400 federal workers. The Federal Aviation Administration has reported air traffic controller shortages and flight delays in cities across the United States.
At the same time, economists including Goldman Sachs and the nonpartisan CBO have warned that the federal government’s closure will ripple through the economy. More recently, Oxford Economics said a shutdown reduces economic growth by 0.1 to 0.2 percentage points per week.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce noted that the Small Business Administration supports loans totaling about $860 million a week for 1,600 small businesses. Those programs close to new loans during the shutdown. The shutdown also has halted the issuance and renewal of flood insurance policies, delaying mortgage closings and real estate transactions.
And without action, future health costs are expected to skyrocket for millions of Americans as the federal subsidies, first enacted during the COVID-19 crisis, come to an end. Those subsidies, in the form of tax credits, expire Dec. 31, and insurance companies are sending out information now about the new rates.
Most U.S. adults are worried about health care becoming more expensive, according to a new Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll, as they make decisions about next year’s health coverage.
November deadlines
Members of both parties acknowledge that as the shutdown drags on, it is becoming less likely every day that Congress will be able to either extend the subsidies or fund the government through the regular appropriations process.
Thune on Monday hinted that Republicans may propose a longer extension of current funding instead of passing individual spending bills if the shutdown doesn’t end soon. Congress would need to pass an extension beyond Nov. 21, he said, “if not something on a much longer-term basis.”
Democrats are focused on Nov. 1, when next year’s enrollment period for the ACA coverage begins and millions of people will sign up for their coverage without the expanded subsidy help. Once those sign-ups begin, they say, it would be much harder to restore the subsidies even if they did have a bipartisan compromise.
“Very soon Americans are going to have to make some really difficult choices about which health care plan they choose for next year,” Schumer said.
What about Trump?
Tuesday’s White House meeting will be a chance for Republican senators to engage with the president on the shutdown after he has been more involved in foreign policy and other issues.
The president last week dismissed Democratic demands as “crazy,” adding, “We’re just not going to do it.”
North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven said that Republican senators will talk strategy with the president at Tuesday’s lunch. “Obviously, we’ll talk to him about it, and he’ll give us his ideas, and we’ll talk about ours,” Hoeven said. “Anything we can do to try to get Democrats to join us” and pass the Republican bill to reopen the government, Hoeven said.
Still, GOP lawmakers expect Trump to stay in line with their current posture to reject negotiations until the government is open.
“Until they put something reasonable on the table to talk about, I don’t think there’s anything to talk about,” said Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy.
Democrats say Trump has to be more involved for the government to reopen.
“He needs to get off the sidelines, get off the golf course,” said House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. “We know that House and Senate Republicans don’t do anything without getting permission from their boss, Donald J. Trump.”
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