WASHINGTON (TNND) — The Senate failed to end the government shutdown for the 10th time on Thursday, and is not scheduled to meet again until Monday, October 20.
President Donald Trump told Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo that Democrats have “made one mistake” with letting the government shutdown continue.
“I think they could just stay out forever, I mean, to be honest with you. Now, what we’re doing is we’re cutting Democrat programs that we didn’t want because… I mean, they made one mistake. They didn’t realize that that gives me the right to cut programs that Republicans never wanted. You know, giveaways, welfare programs, et cetera. And we’re doing that, and we’re cutting them permanently,” Trump said.
Three weeks in, Congress is at a standstill. The House hasn’t been in session for a month, and senators left Washington on Thursday frustrated by the lack of progress. Republican leaders are refusing to negotiate until a short-term funding bill to reopen the government is passed, while Democrats say they won’t agree without guarantees on extending health insurance subsidies.
Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told Fox News that Democrats must first vote to reopen the government, “then we can have serious conversations about health care.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune echoed that approach before leaving for the weekend, saying Trump is “ready to weigh in and sit down with the Democrats or whomever, once the government opens up.”
“Leader Thune has not come to me with any proposal at this point,” Schumer said Thursday.
This week, the Pentagon identified funds to pay active-duty military troops, but there are concerns about whether or not troops will be paid on Oct. 31.
If the shutdown continues, the 42 million Americans who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will not be able to receive the full benefits in November.
“If the current lapse in appropriations continues, there will be insufficient funds to pay full November SNAP benefits for approximately 42 million individuals across the Nation,” the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a letter to state agencies dated Oct. 10.
Since the Senate will not be voting again until next week, this will be the third-longest government shutdown. The longest shutdown was during President Trump’s first term, which lasted 35 days between 2018 and 2019.
Before the Senate adjourned on Thursday, it also failed to advance legislation for defense spending.
The bill would have approved funding for the military. The bill failed with a 50-44 vote, with many Democrats still opposed over health care costs.
