The government shutdown that has hobbled Washington, risks mass disruption to flights and has brought misery to hundreds of thousands of federal workers is now the longest in US history.
On Wednesday, the shutdown marked 36 days since it went into effect on October 1, passing the previous longest government closure of 2018-19 that lasted 35 days.
US President Donald Trump accused “kamikaze” Democrats of being prepared to destroy the country as the shutdown continues and demanded Republican senators end the filibuster, a Senate rule that requires 60 of the 100 members to pass most legislation.
Ending the filibuster has long been known as the “nuclear option” in US politics as it would mean ruling parties have zero need to form consensus with the opposition. Most senators are against the move because they fear what would happen when the opposing party eventually reclaims power.
About 1.4 million federal workers, from air-traffic controllers to park wardens, remain on enforced leave or are working without pay. Some courts are using emergency funds to stay open, and warning that operations could slow if the shutdown drags on.
On Tuesday, the Trump administration sounded the alarm over turmoil at airports nationwide if the crisis drags on until next week.
“You'll see mass cancellations, and you may see us close certain parts of the airspace, because we just cannot manage it because we don't have the air-traffic controllers,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told a news conference in Philadelphia.
More than 60,000 air-traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers are working without pay and many airport workers calling in sick. Similar disruption was a major factor in Mr Trump bringing an end to the 2018-19 shutdown in his first term.
Federal agencies have ground to a halt since Congress failed to approve funding past September 30, and the pain has been mounting as welfare programmes – including assistance for millions of Americans to buy food – hang in the balance.
The shutdown fight centres on federal subsidies for certain types of health insurance. The Republicans want to end pandemic-era help; the Democrats want to keep it in place. If the cuts happen, as many as four million people could lose their coverage as insurance premiums rocket, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
Neither the Democrats nor the Republicans seem willing to compromise but pressure is mounting to get something done, particularly ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday later this month that is expected to bring record air travel.
Mr Trump sees ending the filibuster as a way out of the crisis. He has held firm on refusing to negotiate, telling CBS News in an interview broadcast on Sunday that he would “not be extorted”.
