Democrats and Republicans traded blame for the ongoing shutdown as new senate votes on Monday rejected rival proposals to fund the US federal government.
In two new rounds of voting, the US Senate failed to pass measures to fund the federal government and end a shutdown that began on October 1.
Neither the Republican measure nor the Democratic proposal came close to gaining the 60 votes needed to advance a funding bill.
What are Republicans saying?
On Monday evening, US President Donald Trump again accused the Democrats, whose votes are needed to pass a federal funding bill though the Senate, of being responsible for the shutdown.
“I am happy to work with the Democrats on their Failed Healthcare Policies, or anything else, but first they must allow our Government to re-open,” he wrote on his Truth Social site.
“In fact, they should open our Government tonight!”
Democrats are pushing for an extension of health subsidies to the Affordable Care Act before supporting a Republican proposal to fund the government until November 21 under a stopgap measure.
Republican Senate leader John Thune said a critical food aid program for women, infants and children was starting to run low on funds.
He blamed the Democrats for this, saying “now it’s the American people who are suffering the consequences.”
What are the Democrats saying?
Chuck Schumer, the Senate Democratic Leader, said Trump’s claim that the White House is in negotiation with the Democratic Party “isn’t true.”
Trump said earlier on Monday that he would be open to striking a deal on health care subsidies that Democrats want to extend.
He said that “billions and billions” are being wasted on the subsidies, but “we are speaking with Democrats” and “some very good things” could happen.
Schumer said that’s false, but if Trump is “finally ready to work with Democrats, we’ll be at the table.”
White House backtracks on saying layoffs already taking place
On Sunday, Trump seem to suggest that federal workers were already being laid off.
But when the subject was broached on Monday, regarding which departments had already started firing people, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said that Trump was talking about furloughed workers.
Under a furlough, workers are placed on enforced leave and aren’t paid during the shutdown. But they will return to their job and get paid retroactively after the shutdown ends.
Leavitt added that layoffs were still planned if the shutdown continues.
US government shuts down for first time in six years
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Air traffic control hit by staffing shortages
The effects of the shutdown could be seen across the United States, with a busy California airport having no air traffic controllers on Monday evening, the state’s governor said.
Hollywood Burbank Airport, which connects Los Angeles to the rest of the country, was set to be without qualified staff in the control tower for around six hours, Governor Gavin Newsom wrote in a post on X.
Other airports seeing delays due to staffing shortages on Monday included Las Vegas and Denver, according to the FAA.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that at times, air traffic staffing had been cut by 50% in some areas of the United States since the shutdown started last week.
As essential workers, some 13,000 air traffic controllers and about 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers are expected to turn up for work during a shutdown, even if they aren’t being paid.
Controllers are set to miss their first paycheck on October 14 if the shutdown continues.
Americans brace for impact of US government shutdown
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Edited by: John Silk
