Government shutdown enters second week as Congress remains deadlocked

It should be about October and two-year recesses in Congress.

Congress was paralyzed for more than three weeks without a leader two years ago last October, when the House unceremoniously ousted its former speaker, Kevin McCarthy, Republican of California.

Congress is paralyzed again in October – unable to muster the votes needed to reopen the government.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives said: “There is nothing to negotiate.” Mike Johnson,t-no. “We did the job to keep the government open. Now it’s up to Senate Democrats.”

Ominous red and orange skies made Capitol Hill take notice as closing time approached

But Democrats say that’s the problem. There were no negotiations. Except for a brief meeting at the White House last week between President Trump and the top four congressional leaders from both parties and chambers one day before the shutdown.

“Senate Majority Leader John Thune is talking about ‘We’re going to have talks.’ We need more than talks. We need real negotiations,” Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., said on Fox.

So there are no conversations. It seems that the two sides are talking to each other.

It appears as if Congress is going nowhere positively as shutdown negotiations continue. (Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters)

So, they turned to disability.

Senator John Kennedy, Republican of Los Angeles, expected the closure to continue for another week.

Kennedy predicted, “It won’t be over until everyone in the Senate gets his ego down and shoots him. And then it’ll be over.”

It always is, and always will be about mathematics.

Senate Republicans can summon the votes of 55 senators to break a filibuster on the House-passed government funding bill. But they need 60 years. Republicans are determined to stick to their own rules of the game.

“I can tell you there are more than five Democrats in the Senate who know that (Senate Minority Leader) Chuck SchumerD.N.Y. “He’s led them into the box canyon with this Schumer shutdown. But the consequences will start to pile up,” Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, said on Fox.

Reporter’s Notebook: The Senate votes today to end the government shutdown

White House spokeswoman Carolyn Leavitt did not directly respond to a question about what might lead to the dismissal of the federal government. But jobs hang in the balance, Leavitt said.

“We don’t want to see people being laid off. But unfortunately, if this shutdown continues, layoffs will be an unfortunate consequence of that,” Leavitt said.

Democrats criticized the Trump administration for suggesting it would cut programs and jobs at agencies important to Democrats.

“Americans really hate bullies,” predicted Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., “and this kind of bullying from the White House will backfire because they realize that an authoritarian president is using grants to New York for infrastructure, layoffs, and intentionally inflicting pain.” “Don’t cause unnecessary pain and then flaunt it.”

Some Republicans have expressed their practical admiration for the White House’s approach.

“All’s fair in love and war,” said Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kansas. “I think there’s a price to be paid for Democrats shutting this down.” “That will be part of the consequences.”

Sen. Peter Welch, Democrat of Vermont, said the shutdown is “collective punishment” and undermines Republicans just as harshly. (Tierney L. Cross/Getty Images)

But one Democrat said the Trump administration’s maneuver would also undermine Republicans and voters who supported the president. Even in blue states.

“There are a lot of people in Vermont, there are a lot of people in Illinois who voted for President Trump,” Senator Peter Welch, Democrat of Vermont, told Fox. “So this is kind of collective punishment.” “I think it’s a really bad idea.”

But the president is shy about knowing when the shutdown might lead to layoffs of federal workers.

“It is possible,” said the president. “At some point you will.”

Transport Minister Sean Duffy noted that his department had seen an “uptick” in the number of aviation safety staff calling in sick during the lockdown – due to them not being paid.

“They’re thinking, ‘How do I get my paycheck? How do I make my car payments,'” Duffy said.

White House escalates shutdown consequences as Democrats show no signs of budging: ‘Kamikaze attack’

But if you close your eyes, you can see some signs of bipartisanship.

Johnson discusses Obamacare subsidies with a prominent Democrat.

“I think I had a productive discussion with Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., about two days ago, a day or so ago,” Johnson said about efforts to address impending Obamacare premium increases. “Whatever the conference committee comes up with, I’ll put it on the floor. And I’m ready to go.”

But Schumer questions the House Speaker’s promises.

“Delay has always been Speaker Johnson’s order. Speaker Johnson survived by kicking the can down the road,” Schumer said. “And when Johnson says it later, they know he doesn’t mean never.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune insists that Democrats are “playing a losing game.” (Alex Brandon/AP Photo)

Tensions are rising as the shutdown enters its second week as lawmakers run in circles.

“I realize my Democratic colleagues are facing pressure from members of their far-left base,” Thune said. “But they are playing a losing game here.”

But each side is now engaged in a game of parliamentary chicken. Republicans will not budge on their demand that Senate Democrats approve their funding plan. Democrats will not back down from their insistence that the parties work to strengthen Obamacare subsidies.

“I will not vote to reopen the government until I see a way we can do that,” said Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del.

Even some Republicans are concerned about Obamacare’s rising prices.

“There are some people who are into what the new part is Republican Party“Blue collar workers,” Rep. Jeff Van Drew said on Fox Business. “We have to be careful how we do it. We just shouldn’t cut it. We should make sure we use a scalpel and not a sledgehammer.”

The shutdown raises a strategic debate: Will Trump and the GOP pay a political price in 2026?

But even if bipartisan senators can reach an agreement, the plan could hit a brick wall in the House.

“Republicans have spent most of their careers opposing Obamacare. So why would they expand it and add a subsidy on top of a subsidy?” asked House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla.

There is now debate about which side will surrender. Or any party facing political consequences.

Of course, Republicans believe that Democrats will pay the price.

“Their extremist base just wants to see them here fighting Donald Trump, not on any specific issues,” said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La.

But Democrats don’t see a political downside.

“Are you concerned in any way about the political ramifications that voters might place on your side in the future?” I actually asked House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.

Jeffries responded: “The American people are absolutely clear on who shut down the government. Completely clear.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., noted that Americans are “pretty clear” about who bears the blame for the shutdown. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

However, some lawmakers are skeptical that voters care who “shut down the government.”

“My constituents don’t care about pointing fingers. They just want us to govern,” Democratic Rep. Madeleine Dean said.

As the impasse worsened, the Senate shifted from a parliamentary position to ecumenical intercession.

“On this third day of the government shutdown, inspire them to work for your glory in all they think, say, and sow,” Senate Chaplain Barry Black prayed during his Senate dedication last week.

Here’s what Trump wants to do to reshape the federal government during the shutdown

Then there are the sideshows. The White House sent a meme depicting Budget Director Ross Vaught in the role of the Grim Reaper. The president trolled Jeffries with an AI-generated video on social media, showing Jeffries wearing a sombrero and mustache with mariachi music playing in the background.

Meanwhile, Republicans warned of the dangerous consequences of the shutdown.

“Real pain is endured by real people,” Johnson said.

But in the next breath, the Speaker of the House defended the president by mocking the circumstances, calling the trolling “entertainment.”

“That’s what President Trump He does. “And people enjoy it,” Johnson said.

I didn’t let that go.

“On the one hand, you say this is very serious. That people have jobs on the line. On the other hand, you say, ‘Oh, this is just fun and games and they’re trolling.’ What is it?” I inquired.

“What they’re trying to have fun with and make fun of is pointing out the absurdity of the Democrats’ position,” Johnson replied.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Los Angeles, defended President Trump’s dismissal of current conditions as “entertainment.” (Kevin Deitch/Getty Images)

So we don’t know if or when Vaught will drop the anvil on federal workers. But one senator who caucus with Democrats and voted for the GOP plan suggested his support could wane if Republicans overplay their hand.

“If they start firing thousands of people or cutting back on other types of programs, I think that could hurt their chances of solving this problem,” said Senator Angus King of Maine.

The Senate has now blocked a spending package approved by the House on six separate occasions. The two sides are holding informal talks. But nothing happened.

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It is as if Congress is on a whirlpool that leads nowhere, just going around and around. Everyone feels dizzy. And he just wants to get off.