As the U.S. federal government remains halted for the 37th day, rewriting the record for the longest shutdown in history, the Democratic Party, which won recent elections, has returned to a hard-line stance in negotiations. With a sharper confrontation against the Republican Party, the shutdown is likely to exceed 40 days.
On the 6th (local time), CNN said, "The bipartisan talks that had made progress for several days have hit a dead end," and noted that "optimism for a swift deal has evaporated." The Democratic Party says it cannot step back even an inch until it pushes through an extension of subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), known as Obamacare.
According to the politics-focused outlet Axios, fatigue from the prolonged shutdown had recently spurred some Democratic moderates to move to quickly strike a budget deal with Republicans. But after the Democratic Party won a landslide in major elections on the 4th, the mood shifted dramatically.
President Donald Trump, meeting Republican figures at a White House breakfast the day after the election rout, acknowledged that "the shutdown was a major negative factor for the Republican Party." Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin also agreed, saying, "The shutdown was a very big challenge in this election."
The remarks further solidified the Democrats' resolve to negotiate. Since President Trump acknowledged suffering political damage from the shutdown, they judged they could secure more in the talks. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of the Democratic Party entered Trump's comment into the congressional record and pressed that "Trump must have thought he needs to meet with Democrats to 'end this crisis.'"
The Democratic Party has consistently argued to extend the ACA subsidies expanded during the pandemic. If this support expires at the end of the year, health insurance premiums equivalent to at least several million Americans will spike. This is directly tied to the Democrats' core base. Sen. Elizabeth Warren said in a Fox News interview, "We are fighting for health access for millions of Americans," adding, "Americans supported this claim with their votes."
The Republican Party, meanwhile, appears troubled by an extension of the subsidies. Senate Minority Leader John Thune of the Republican Party proposed first reopening the government and then discussing the subsidy issue with the president at the White House. The Democratic Party rejected the proposal as "untrustworthy."
As the two parties square off, American society is paying a massive expense for the shutdown. The NYT reported that the shutdown has forced hundreds of thousands of federal employees to take unpaid leave, halted Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for low-income households, and paralyzed air travel.