The federal government shutdown, which halts some functions, reached a new record of 36 days on the 5th. The shutdown, which began on the 1st of last month due to disagreements between Republicans and Democrats over extending Obamacare subsidies and the failure to pass a stopgap budget bill, is prolonging the situation and causing increasing inconvenience to citizens.
On the 4th, the Senate held its 14th vote on the Republican stopgap budget bill, but it was again defeated by a vote of 54 to 44. With the Democrats maintaining their opposition, the Republicans again failed to secure the 60 votes needed to pass the bill. Democrats insist that the Republicans must agree to extend Obamacare subsidies before passing a stopgap budget bill, but Republicans insist that the government be brought back to normal operation before discussing the issue.
With President Trump, the Republicans, and the Democrats unable to find common ground, the shutdown reached its 36th day on the 5th, setting a record for the longest shutdown on record. With the shutdown resuming in the first year of the Trump administration’s second term, hundreds of thousands of federal workers are working without pay or being forced to furlough.
Air transportation is also facing inevitable disruptions. The SNAP (Food Stamps) program, which serves 42 million vulnerable people, is also in danger due to depleted funds.
A court ordered the Trump administration to continue operating the program using federal emergency funds, but the current emergency fund is only half of the $9 billion it cost in November.