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WASHINGTON -- Republican and Democratic lawmakers astatine an impasse connected reopening the national authorities provided fewer nationalist signs Sunday of meaningful negotiations taking spot to extremity what is astir to beryllium a six-day shutdown - with President Donald Trump saying that layoffs are occurring.
Asked connected Sunday nighttime erstwhile national workers would beryllium fired arsenic helium has threatened to do, Trump told reporters: "It's taking spot close present and it's each due to the fact that of the Democrats."
"The Democrats are causing the nonaccomplishment of a batch of jobs," Trump added, declining to reply a question astir which agencies are taxable to the cuts.
The anticipation of layoffs would escalate an already tense concern successful which Washington lawmakers person struggled to find communal crushed and physique communal trust. Leaders successful some parties are betting that nationalist sentiment has swung their way, putting unit connected the different broadside to cave.
The U.S. Capitol is seen connected the 2nd time of the authorities shutdown, successful Washington, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025.
AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
Democrats are insisting connected renewing subsidies to screen wellness security costs for millions of households, portion Trump wants to sphere existing spending levels arsenic helium believes that Democrats volition person to cave due to the fact that of the jobs and national projects being enactment astatine risk.
The squabble comes astatine a infinitesimal of troubling economical uncertainty. While the U.S. system has continued to turn this year, hiring has slowed and ostentation remains elevated arsenic Trump's import taxes person created a bid of disruptions for businesses and wounded assurance successful his leadership. At the aforesaid time, determination is simply a designation that the astir $2 trillion yearly fund shortage is financially unsustainable.
House Democratic person Hakeem Jeffries, among those appearing connected the Sunday quality shows, said determination person been nary talks with Republican leaders since their White House gathering past Monday.
"And, unfortunately, since that constituent successful time, Republicans, including Donald Trump, person gone vigor silent," Jeffries said. "And what we've seen is dialog done deepfake videos, the House canceling votes, and of people President Trump spending yesterday connected the play course. That's not liable behavior."
The Trump medication sees the shutdown arsenic an opening to wield greater powerfulness implicit the budget, with aggregate officials saying they volition prevention wealth arsenic workers are furloughed by imposing imperishable occupation cuts connected thousands of authorities workers, a maneuver that has ne'er been utilized before.
Even though it would beryllium Trump's prime to chopped jobs, helium believes helium tin enactment the blasted connected the Democrats due to the fact that of the shutdown.
"It's up to them," Trump told reporters connected Sunday greeting earlier boarding the statesmanlike chopper to observe the Navy's 250th day successful Norfolk, Virginia.
While Trump roseate to fame connected the TV amusement "The Apprentice" with its catchphrase of "You're fired," Republicans connected Sunday claimed that the medication would instrumentality nary pleasance successful letting spell of national workers, adjacent though the medication had besides enactment backing connected clasp for infrastructure and vigor projects successful Democratic areas without wide signs of remorse.
"We haven't seen the details yet astir what's happening" with layoffs, House Speaker Mike Johnson said Sunday greeting connected NBC. "But it is simply a regrettable concern that the president does not want."
Kevin Hassett, manager of the White House National Economic Council, besides said the medication would similar to debar the layoffs.
"We privation the Democrats to travel guardant and to marque a woody that's a clean, continuing solution that gives america 7 much weeks to speech astir these things," Hassett said connected CNN. "But the bottommost enactment is that with Republicans successful control, the Republicans person a batch much powerfulness implicit the result than the Democrats."
Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff of California defended his party's stance connected the shutdown, saying connected NBC that the imaginable summation successful wellness attraction costs for "millions of Americans" would marque security unaffordable successful what helium called a "crisis."
But Schiff besides noted that the Trump medication has stopped congressionally approved spending from being used. That fundamentally undermines the worth of Democrats trying to question compromises connected the fund since the medication could artifact the spending of wealth from immoderate deal. The Trump medication sent Congress astir $4.9 cardinal successful " pouch rescissions " connected overseas aid, a process that meant the spending was withheld without clip for Congress to measurement successful earlier the erstwhile fiscal twelvemonth ended past month.
"We request some to code the wellness attraction situation and we request immoderate written assurance successful the instrumentality - I won't instrumentality a committedness - that they're not going to renege connected immoderate woody we make," Schiff said.
The tv appearances indicated that Democrats and Republicans are engaged talking, deploying net memes against each different that person raised concerns astir whether it's imaginable to negociate successful bully faith.
Vice President JD Vance said a video putting Jeffries successful a sombrero and heavy mustache was simply a joke, adjacent though it came crossed arsenic mocking radical of Mexican descent arsenic Republicans importune that the Democratic demands would pb to wellness attraction spending connected immigrants successful the state illegally, a assertion that Democrats dispute.
Immigrants successful the U.S. illegally are not eligible for immoderate national wellness attraction programs, including security provided done the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid. Still, hospitals bash person Medicaid reimbursements for exigency attraction that they are obligated to supply to radical who conscionable different Medicaid eligibility requirements but bash not person an eligible migration status.
The challenge, however, is that the 2 parties bash not look to beryllium having productive conversations with each different successful private, adjacent arsenic Republicans importune they are successful speech with their Democratic colleagues.
On Friday, a Senate ballot to beforehand a Republican measure that would reopen the authorities failed to notch the indispensable 60 votes to extremity a filibuster. Johnson said the House would adjacent for legislative concern adjacent week, a strategy that could obligate the Senate to enactment with the authorities backing measure that was passed by House Republicans.
"Johnson's not superior astir this," Senate Democratic person Chuck Schumer said connected CBS. "He sent each his congressmen location past week and location this week. How are you going to negotiate?"
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Sunday that the shutdown connected discretionary spending, the furloughing of national workers and requirements that different national employees enactment without wage volition spell connected truthful agelong arsenic Democrats ballot no.
"They'll get different accidental connected Monday to ballot again," Thune said connected Fox News Channel's "Sunday Morning Futures."
"And I'm hoping that immoderate of them person a alteration of heart," helium said.
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