(Adnkronos) – The federal government shutdown reaches its sixth day, and hundreds of thousands of workers begin their second week with frozen salaries with few, if any, signs of an imminent bipartisan breakthrough that could reopen the government. Several members of Congress, Politico writes today, are looking at October 15, practically 10 days from now, as the real deadline by which to resolve something, because by that date military personnel who continue to serve would not receive their pay.
These days, the positions of the two sides seem to have hardened, with Donald Trump and Republicans continuing to say that healthcare can only be “improved” through negotiation after the government reopens, by approving a motion that extends public spending coverage until the end of October. “There are many proposals from both sides, but we need people to come together in good faith around a table to discuss, and we cannot do that with the government shut down,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson.
For their part, Democrats state that they will not give their crucial votes to reopen the government without an agreement on Obamacare health insurance subsidies that will soon expire, with a negative impact on over 20 million Americans. Polls published over the weekend seem to give Democrats a certain advantage, with a contained majority of Americans holding Trump and Republicans responsible for the inconveniences and problems of the shutdown. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Republicans are “losing in the eyes of public opinion,” and promises to continue to “fight for the healthcare of American taxpayers and workers.”
