The building strain on lawmakers to end the impasse was magnified by the nation’s largest federal employee union, which called on Congress to immediately pass a funding bill and ensure workers receive full pay. Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, said the two political parties have made their point.
“It’s time to pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown today. No half measures, and no gamesmanship,” said Kelley, whose union carries considerable political weight with Democratic lawmakers.
“We’ve got to get a deal with Donald Trump,” Kaine said.
But shutdowns grow more painful the longer they go. Soon, with closures lasting a fourth full week as of Tuesday, millions of Americans are likely to experience the difficulties firsthand.
“This week, more than any other week, the consequences become impossible to ignore,” said Rep. Lisa McClain, chair of the House Republican Conference.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said the administration made an intentional choice not to the fund SNAP in November, calling it an “act of cruelty.”
At the Capitol, congressional leaders mostly highlighted the challenges many Americans are facing as a result of the shutdown. But there was no movement toward negotiations as they attempted to lay blame on the other side of the political aisle.
“Now government workers and every other American affected by this shutdown have become nothing more than pawns in the Democrats’ political games,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.
But the Senate has consistently fallen short of the 60 votes needed to advance that spending measure. Democrats insist that any bill to fund the government also address health care costs, namely the soaring health insurance premiums that millions of Americans will face next year under plans offered through the Affordable Care Act marketplace.
The window for enrolling in ACA health plans begins Saturday. In past years, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has allowed Americans to preview their health coverage options about a week before open enrollment.
Twenty-eight senators, mostly Democrats, signed a letter urging Trump’s administration to let ACA enrollees start previewing next year’s health insurance options on its marketplace website.
Republicans insist they will not entertain negotiations on health care until the government reopens.
Schumer said Republicans would prefer to shut the government down than work with Democrats in preventing massive spikes in their health insurance costs. He said the average American doesn’t want to pay an extra $20,000 a year to cover their health insurance.
“And we Democrats want to solve this crisis right away,” Schumer said. “So lowering health care is not a crazy demand.”
Vice President JD Vance planned to attend a Republican luncheon on Capitol Hill Tuesday. But with President Donald Trump traveling in Asia and congressional leaders dug into their positions, a quick deal appeared unlikely.
Meanwhile, some rank-and-file lawmakers urged colleagues to consider the impact of their standoff on the lives of federal employees and Capitol police officers who have not been paid for weeks.
“We have got to come together, which means we’ve got to talk to one another,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican, said in a floor speech urging leaders to stop focusing on who was winning the political fight. “Right now, those that are losing are the American people.”
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Associated Press writers Mary Clare Jalonick in Washington and Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, contributed to this report.
