US shutdown: Senators work through weekend as workers go unpaid for 2nd month, SNAP aid delayed, flights cancelled
US government shutdown: Democrat and Republican Senators are negotiating over health care subsidies, but bipartisan progress remains uncertain amid President Trump advocating for ending the filibuster to expedite the resolution.
Hoping to find a bipartisan resolution as the US government shutdown continues to drag on even as thousands of workers go unpaid for the second month in a row, affecting the flights and SANP benefits, the Senators are working through the weekend.
However, it is not clear if the Senators would be able to make headway in reopening the government after 39 days.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer scaled back demand to end the shutdown in exchange for a one-year extension of expiring health care subsidies, but Majority Leader John Thune rejected the offer, calling it a 'nonstarter'.
“Democrats are ready to clear the way to quickly pass a government funding bill that includes health care affordability,” Schumer said.
He called on Thune to add the extension of health care tax credits slated to expire in December to the stopgap spending bill he has been trying to pass for weeks, reported the New York Times.
Schumer quipped that "it is not a negotiation, it’s an extension of current law — something we do all the time around here, as we all know.
US President Donald Trump has been repeatedly urging to end the filibuster, which requires 60 Senate votes for most legislation, so they can bypass Democrats altogether and end the shutdown quickly.
“I am totally in favour of terminating the filibuster, and we would be back to work within 10 minutes after that vote took place,” Trump said Friday.
Republicans have emphatically rejected Trump's call.
According to Washington post, Senate Republicans’ unwillingness to scrap the filibuster underscores the limits of Trump’s influence in his second term.
The local workers at US military bases have also started feeling the pinch of the shutdown.
According to an AP report, at least 2,000 people working at overseas bases in Europe have had their salaries interrupted since the shutdown began.
“It’s an absurd situation because nobody has responses, nobody feels responsible,” Angelo Zaccaria, a union coordinator at the Aviano Air Base in northeastern Italy, told AP.
Travellers suffer on day 2
Meanwhile, with all major airlines reducing flights after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) order, travellers continue to suffer across America.
The 4% flight cuts will increase to 6% on Tuesday and then to 10% by November 14.
Sean Duffy, the US Transportation Secretary, has warned that the government could force airlines to cut up to 20% of flights.
“The cuts were a proactive safety step as the shutdown puts strain on the system for both pilots and air traffic controllers,” said Sean Duffy.