Senators are working through the weekend hoping to find a bipartisan solution as the US government shutdown continues to drag on, even as thousands of workers are without pay for a second straight month, affecting flights and SANP benefits.
However, it is not clear whether the senators would be able to reopen the government after 39 days.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer scaled back the demand to end the shutdown in exchange for a one-year extension of expiring health care subsidies, but Majority Leader John Thune rejected the offer, calling it a “non-starter.”
“Democrats are ready to clear the way to quickly pass a government funding bill that includes health care affordability,” Schumer said.
He urged Thune to add an extension of health care tax credits that expire in December to a temporary spending bill he has been trying to pass for weeks, the New York Times reported.
Schumer joked that “this is not a negotiation, this is an extension of current law — something we do here all the time, as we all know.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly called for an end to the filibuster, which requires 60 Senate votes for most legislation to completely bypass Democrats and quickly end the shutdown.
“I’m totally in favor of ending the filibuster and we’d be back to work within 10 minutes of that vote,” Trump said Friday.
Republicans strongly rejected Trump’s call.
According to the Washington post, the reluctance of Senate Republicans to abolish the filibuster underscores the limits of Trump’s influence in his second term.
Local workers at US military bases also began to feel the pinch of the shutdown.
At least 2,000 people working at overseas bases in Europe have been without pay since the shutdown began, according to an AP report.
“It’s an absurd situation because nobody has answers, nobody feels responsible,” Angelo Zaccaria, a union coordinator at Aviano Air Base in northeastern Italy, told the AP.
Travelers suffer on day 2
Meanwhile, with all major airlines curtailing flights following the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) order, travelers across America continue to suffer.
The 4% reduction in flights will increase to 6% on Tuesday and then to 10% until November 14.
Sean Duffy, the US transport secretary, has warned that the government could force airlines to cut flights by up to 20%.
“The reduction was a proactive safety step as the shutdown puts pressure on the system for both pilots and air traffic controllers,” said Sean Duffy.
