Longest US government shutdown looks set to end after Democrats break ranks

3 months ago 21

Washington: The longest federal government shutdown in US history is poised to end after a number of centrist Democrats in the Senate broke ranks to support a bill that would restart funding and reverse the lay-offs of thousands of federal workers fired during the 40-day closure.

In a late-night session on Sunday (Monday AEDT), enough Democrats signed up to a plan to reopen the government – relenting on their demands for an immediate extension of expiring healthcare subsidies – that it should pass despite the objections of some colleagues.

Democratic senators explained their decision to back the compromise plan at a late-night news conference in Washington.

The decision – which some Democrats will see as a capitulation – came as the consequences of the protracted shutdown intensified, with a dearth of air traffic controllers forcing mass flight cancellations, and millions of Americans losing food stamps they depend on to feed their families.

“This is a true crisis for those individuals,” said Angus King, a Democratic senator from Maine, explaining his decision to support the compromise.

Democrats had demanded that any deal to reopen the government include extended health insurance tax credits – an “Obamacare” policy – which are due to expire shortly. “It was our judgment after six weeks, going on seven weeks, of this shutdown, that that path wasn’t working,” King said.

The procedural vote that garnered enough support on Sunday night will still need to lead to a substantive vote in the Senate, probably on Monday, Washington time, and then in the House of Representatives, likely to be this week. The House has been in recess since September but can be recalled within about 48 hours.

The breakthrough came as the shutdown entered its 40th day, eclipsing the 35-day record set in the first Trump administration over the winter of 2018-19. The reopening bill would fund the government only until the end of January.

King said that as part of the deal, Republicans had agreed to put a Democrat-drafted bill on healthcare and the tax credits on the Senate floor by the second week of December. “That was a major step,” he said.

There is, of course, no guarantee that bill would pass – in fact, it is extremely unlikely that it would, given the Republicans control Congress and the White House.

US President Donald Trump said Obamacare was “terrible”, but had indicated a willingness to discuss healthcare with Democrats if the shutdown ended. However, in recent days he shifted to demanding Republicans change Senate rules to abolish the filibuster, allowing them to reopen the government without needing Democrats to meet the 60-vote threshold.

Publicly, the Democrats’ leader in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, and in the House, Hakeem Jeffries, opposed the compromise plan.

“For months and months, Democrats have been fighting to get the Senate to address the healthcare crisis; this bill does nothing to ensure that that crisis is addressed,” Schumer said in a video message. “I am voting ‘no’ and I will keep fighting.”

Schumer, who was criticised by progressives earlier this year for failing to sufficiently stand up to Trump, faces a likely challenge for his New York seat from younger firebrand congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Trump, returning to the White House from Florida and a brief appearance at a football match near Washington, told reporters: “It looks like we’re getting very close to the shutdown ending.”

Aviation authorities ordered airlines to cut flights due to a shortage of air traffic controllers.

Federal government shutdowns are relatively common in the United States when Congress cannot agree on budget bills. During a shutdown, non-essential employees are furloughed, while those deemed essential, such as air traffic controllers, must work without pay (though some inevitably call in sick).

Polls have shown that more Americans blame Trump and the Republicans for the shutdown, despite Republicans arguing they had voted to reopen the government 14 times while the Democrats voted “no”. Trump accused Democrats of trying to extort him into extending Obamacare subsidies.