US rolls toward a 'terrible' government shutdown, no exit ramp in sight

"Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill have entered a stalemate over whether to fund the government for seven weeks or begin a shutdown that could last considerably longer, amid high partisan tensions. Lawmakers, it seems, did not learn from two earlier shutdowns that produced zero results for Republicans who tried to force their policy preferences on Democrats. The 2013 shutdown that lasted 16 days began with GOP demands to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and ended with it remaining the law of the land."

"The 2018-2019 shutdown started when President Donald Trump insisted on additional funding for a border wall, but concluded 35 days later with the same amount of money included in the original appropriations bill. This time around, however, it's Democrats making demands ahead of a funding deadline and striking a markedly different tone from just a few months ago. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said earlier this year that shutting down the government would cede considerable power to the Trump administration"

"now says his party will not help GOP leaders advance a seven-week temporary funding patch ahead of the Oct. 1 shutdown deadline, since - encouraged by Trump - they didn't negotiate the bill. "President Trump and Republican leaders would like nothing more than to pull us into the mud of a protracted government shutdown," Schumer said in March. "For Donald Trump, a shutdown would be a gift. It would be the best distraction he could ask for from his awful agenda.""

Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill are locked in a stalemate over whether to fund the government for seven weeks or allow a potentially prolonged shutdown. Previous shutdowns in 2013 and 2018-2019 produced no lasting gains for Republicans despite demands to repeal the Affordable Care Act and seek additional border wall funding. Democrats are now making demands and refuse to advance a seven-week temporary funding bill that Republicans drafted without negotiation. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says Democrats do not want a shutdown but will not be shut out of the process and will push back against continued abuses.

Read at Nextgov.com