We've now reached day 38 of the longest federal shutdown in American history, and that means everything has changed. It may still be the Schumer Shutdown, but we have to face facts that Democrats have drawn this out for so long that the original clean Continuing Resolution is pretty much irrelevant at this point.
The extended duration has created mounting pressure from unexpected quarters. Aviation concerns are becoming impossible to ignore as Thanksgiving travel approaches within weeks, and according to reports, lawmakers on both sides are growing increasingly uncomfortable with the mounting consequences. Federal workers remain in financial limbo without paychecks, and Democrats let SNAP benefits expire for millions of Americans who depend on emergency food assistance. The real pain of a prolonged shutdown is hitting constituencies that matter politically for Democrats, and according Fox News's Chad Pergram, there’s a renewed urgency in their ranks to bring this to a close.
But don’t get excited yet.
"Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers are skittish about the shutdown. They're agonizing about aviation. There's increasing worry among bipartisan lawmakers about federal workers not getting paid and the cessation of emergency food benefits known as SNAP. Everyone wants a deal. However, no one knows where to find one," Pergram reports. “Republicans have long known that the House-passed interim spending bill (from September 19) simply doesn’t work anymore. Even if the Senate were to align with the House, that legislation only funds the government through November 21. And that would deposit Congress right back where it started on October 1 with a shutdown.”
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Republicans, recognizing that Nov. 21 no longer made practical sense after five weeks of impasse, shifted strategy toward a longer-term temporary spending bill extending into late January.
Naturally, the political calculus has changed for Democrats as well, with some showing openness to a deal. As Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut suggested, "There seems to be some indication of a thaw.” The problem, of course, is that Democrats are looking at the recent elections and feeling emboldened to make even more demands.
"There is no reason to surrender now. Every reason to stand firm,” Blumenthal noted. "The message of Tuesday simply confirms what we've been hearing again and again and again."
Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) described the absurdity of negotiations that had been progressing relatively smoothly before the election. According to Mullin, "There's been a group working in a very strong bipartisan manner, saying once this election is over, we're going to reopen. And then today, they came back with some of the most ridiculous demands to take authority away from President Trump – wanting us as a Senate to guarantee what the House can and can't do. And it's just not feasible."
Negotiations continue on multiple fronts, with senators working on a three-bill package in what's being called a "minibus" covering agriculture, military construction-veterans affairs, and legislative branch spending. Some Republican senators have even suggested they might support provisions to reverse mass firings of federal workers and provide back pay — a potential compromise that could unlock broader negotiations.
So, sadly, the shutdown issue has only gotten more complicated, and the key takeaway here is don’t expect it to end quickly.
“Democrats are split as to what they want to do. Still, many want an off-ramp. And progressives are ready to rage if moderate Democrats burn them again,” Pergram writes. “So we are far from the end of the government shutdown saga. But we’re not at the beginning anymore. Perhaps that’s solace to those tracking the shutdown.”
Maybe it should be, but it’s not.
