Government shutdown becomes the longest on record as fallout spreads nationwide

By LISA MASCARO and MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press WASHINGTON AP The administration shutdown has entered its th day emerging the record as the longest ever and disrupting the lives of millions of Americans with federal undertaking cuts flight delays and federal workers nationwide left without paychecks President Donald Trump has refused to negotiate with Democrats over their demands to salvage expiring healthcare insurance subsidies until they agree to reopen the regime But skeptical Democrats question whether the Republican president will keep his word particularly after the administration restricted SNAP food aid despite court orders to ensure funds are available to prevent hunger Trump whose first term at the White House set the previous administration shutdown record is set to meet early Wednesday for breakfast with GOP senators But no talks have been scheduled with the Democrats Why is this happening We re in a shutdown because our colleagues are unwilling to come to the table to talk about one simple thing wellness care premiums noted Sen Amy Klobuchar D-Minn in a late evening speech Stop this mess come to the table negotiate it she declared With Trump largely on the sidelines talks have intensified among a loose coalition of centrist senators trying to negotiate an end to the stalemate Expectations are high that the logjam would break once balloting results were fully tallied in Tuesday s off-year races that were widely watched as a gauge of voter sentiment over Trump s second term in the White House Democrats swept key contests for governor in Virginia and New Jersey and New York City mayor certain to shake up the political assessments But earlier in the afternoon Senate Democrats left an hours-long private meeting stone-faced with no certain path forward We re exploring all the options Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer disclosed afterward Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer D-N Y arrives to meet with reporters following a closed-door session with fellow Democrats on day of the ruling body shutdown at the Capitol in Washington Tuesday Nov AP Photo J Scott Applewhite Trump sets another shutdown record Trump s approach to this shutdown stands in marked contrast to his first term when the cabinet was partially closed for days over his demands for funds to build the U S -Mexico boundary wall At that time he met publicly and negotiated with congressional leaders but unable to secure the funds he relented in This time it s not just Trump declining to engage in talks The congressional leaders are at a standoff and House Speaker Mike Johnson R-La sent lawmakers home in September after they approved their own funding bill refusing further negotiations In the meantime food aid child care funds and countless other governing body services are being seriously interrupted and hundreds of thousands of federal workers have been furloughed or expected to come to work without pay Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted there could be chaos in the skies next week if air traffic controllers miss another paycheck Labor unions put pressure on lawmakers to reopen the governing body Senate Majority Leader John Thune R-S D disclosed this has been not only the longest shutdown but also the greater part severe shutdown on record The Republican leader has urged the Democrats to accept his overtures to vote on the fitness care issue and keep negotiating a explanation once the cabinet reopens arguing that no one wins politically from the standoff Shutdowns are stupid Thune stated Senate Majority Leader John Thune R-S D joined at left by Sen John Barrasso R-Wyo the GOP whip talks with reporters following a closed-door strategy session on day of the executive shutdown at the Capitol in Washington Tuesday Nov AP Photo J Scott Applewhite Senators search for possible deal Central to any endgame will be a series of agreements that would need to be upheld not only by the Senate but also the House and the White House which is not at all certain in Washington First of all senators from both parties particularly the powerful members of the Appropriations Committee are pushing to ensure the normal ruling body funding process in Congress can be put back on track Sen Susan Collins R-Maine the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Sen Mike Rounds R-S D along with several Democrats including Sens Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire and Chris Coons of Delaware are among those working behind the scenes The pace of talks have increased declared Sen Gary Peters D-Mich who has been involved in conversations Among the goals is guaranteeing upcoming votes on a smaller package of bills where there is already widespread bipartisan agreement to fund various aspects of cabinet like agricultural programs and military construction projects at bases I certainly think that three-bill package is primed to do a lot of good things for the American people explained Sen Katie Britt R-Ala who has also been in talks Amanda Salter loads a pallet with food for her women s shelter at Second Harvest Food Bank Tuesday Nov in Nashville Tenn AP Photo George Walker IV Physical condition care costs skyrocket for millions More hard a substantial number of senators also want particular resolution to the standoff over the funding for the Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to expire at year s end With insurance premium notices being sent millions of Americans are experiencing sticker shock on skyrocketing prices The loss of enhanced federal subsidies which were put in place during the COVID- pandemic and come in the form of tax credits are expected to leave multiple people unable to buy wellbeing insurance Republicans are reluctant to fund the wellness care project also known as Obamacare without reforms but negotiating a compromise with Democrats is expected to take time if a deal can be reached at all Thune has promised Democrats at least a vote on their preferred healthcare care proposal on a date certain as part of any deal to reopen administration But that s not enough for specific senators who see the healthcare care deadlock as part of their broader concerns with Trump s direction for the country The White House says its position remains unchanged and that Democrats must vote to fund the governing body before talks over healthcare care can begin White House authorities are in close contact with GOP senators who have been quietly speaking with key Senate Democrats according to a senior White House official The official was granted anonymity to discuss administration strategy Related Articles Trump administration and private investors sign off on billion deal with rare earth startups FBI fires additional agents who participated in examining Trump AP sources say Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warns of mass chaos in skies if shutdown continues The Latest Democrats notch wins for governors mayor over Trump s picks Dick Cheney one of the greater part powerful and polarizing vice presidents in US history dies at Trump s demands to end the filibuster fall flat The president has been pushing the senators to nuke the filibuster the Senate rule that requires votes to advance largest part law as a way to reopen the governing body The GOP senators have panned Trump s demands to end the filibuster in a rare populace break with the president Thune and others argue the Senate rule while infuriating at times ensures the minority party can be a check on the administration which is fundamental when power shifts in Washington But in the current Senate where Republicans hold a slim majority - Democrats have been able to block the House-passed bill that would fund the leadership having voted more than a dozen times against Trump has commented that doing away with the filibuster would be one way the Republicans could go around the Democrats and end the shutdown on their own Republican senators are trying to avoid that outcome Associated Press writers Kevin Freking Stephen Groves Seung Min Kim and Matt Brown contributed to this summary