The government shutdown is on its 15th day, and as the public increasingly begins to feel the effects, it remains unclear which party on Capitol Hill will blink first.
LEILA FADEL, HOST:
The federal government is now shut down for a 15th day, and Republicans and Democrats appear no closer to an agreement to reopen it.
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
The Trump administration says it is prepared to ride out an extended stalemate, and congressional leaders say no one is actively negotiating a way out.
FADEL: NPR congressional reporter Sam Gringlas joins us now to discuss this. Good morning, Sam.
SAM GRINGLAS, BYLINE: Good morning.
FADEL: So, Sam, is anything changing on Capitol Hill?
GRINGLAS: Not really. There have been, you know, some informal bipartisan conversations among a few senators, but they haven’t really produced much. And last night, the Senate failed to advance a short-term funding bill for an eighth time. Democrats are holding out to negotiate an extension for expiring health care subsidies. But top Republicans, like Representative Lisa McClain of Michigan, say that there’s just nothing to bargain over.
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LISA MCCLAIN: So when you ask, what negotiation? – there’s nothing to negotiate.
GRINGLAS: And meanwhile, the White House Office of Management and Budget says it is making every preparation to batten down the hatches to ride out a long shutdown. The White House says that includes repurposing other funds to pay U.S. troops, who would have missed a paycheck this week, though the plan to cover the next one is unclear.
FADEL: OK. The possibility of troops going without pay has put pressure on Congress to act in the past during shutdowns, but now that’s off the table. So what else could break the impasse?
GRINGLAS: The White House also says it’s found money to fund WIC. That’s the food aid program for women, infants and children. That may have been another pressure point, but there are still others. Those health insurance subsidies are expiring soon. Plus, there will be more shutdown consequences. Here’s House Majority Whip Tom Emmer.
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TOM EMMER: More Americans won’t see a paycheck at the end of this month. Benefits like SNAP will be put at risk. Airports will be flooded with flight cancellations and delays amid the busiest time to travel all year.
GRINGLAS: And then there are the layoffs. President Trump pledged to fire more federal workers during the shutdown and on Friday laid off some 4,200 people. Though some of those were walked back, Trump said more layoffs may be on the way.
FADEL: OK. And Republicans are suggesting that the threat of those layoffs could pressure Democrats to back down. Are they right?
GRINGLAS: Well, Democrats say their stance is still resolute, even those whose constituents may stand to feel the impacts most. Lawmakers who represent the D.C. area spoke outside the OMB on Monday, and behind them were dozens of federal workers. This is Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland.
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CHRIS VAN HOLLEN: When they tell you that the shutdown is making them fire these federal employees, do not believe it for a moment. That is a big lie.
GRINGLAS: The Trump administration has been slashing the federal workforce for months. A hearing is happening in federal court today over the legality of those layoffs. Van Hollen says Trump will keep making cuts whether the government is open or closed. Trump did tell reporters Tuesday he plans to continue closing Democrat programs. But even if the impacts of a shutdown, Leila, become more severe, an end to this stalemate may not come soon.
FADEL: NPR congressional reporter Sam Gringlas. Thank you, Sam.
GRINGLAS: Thank you.
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