Many Americans are asking, “Is the government still shut down?”
As the standoff enters its sixth day, senators have returned to the Capitol seeking a deal to restore funding and reopen federal operations, CNN reports.
Is The Government Still Shut Down?
Yes, and the government shutdown, which began on Wednesday, Oct. 1, as AFROTECH™ previously reported, has already disrupted services nationwide.
In Dayton, OH, residents encountered closed national parks and museums. According to another CNN report, Howard Patterson, a DHL worker, said he had planned a family visit to the Wright Cycle Company, part of the national park on aviation, but found it locked with a sign reading, “Due to the current lapse in federal government appropriations this site is closed to the public.”
The political standoff centers on disagreements between Republicans — who fully control the federal government but lack the 60 votes needed in the Senate — and Democrats, who are demanding extensions of tax credits to make Affordable Care Act plans more affordable and a reversal of recent Medicaid cuts.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told CNN on Friday, Oct. 3, that Republicans refused to negotiate and “barreled us into a shutdown.” Republicans have shifted focus to immigration, claiming that Democrats want to provide free health care to undocumented immigrants.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said that negotiations at the leader level were limited but that conversations were happening behind the scenes, CNN reports.
“I don’t think there’s at this point a lot to negotiate and honestly, I think that the more productive conversations are happening outside of the leader office at the moment,” he said, per the outlet.
With the government still shut down, public opinion remains divided. According to a survey from The Washington Post, 47% of Americans blame President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers, 30% blame Democrats, and 23% are unsure. The Washington Post further notes that voters have held the GOP responsible for shutdowns in previous government funding standoffs as well.
In Washington, the White House has publicly blamed Democrats for the shutdown, issuing warnings about potential layoffs and posting messages on government websites assigning fault to the left. Texas Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett said on CNN that these actions may violate the Hatch Act, which limits partisan activity by federal employees.
“Instead of just saying, ‘We’re currently in a shutdown,’ you decided to play partisan politics on an official website,” Crockett said.
For areas that employ high numbers of federal workers — like Dayton, OH, home to the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base — residents are more concerned about the practical impacts of the shutdown than politics. Dayton is already feeling the effects on wages, business traffic, and federal services, reports CNN. Tierra Freeman, manager of a new boutique, told the outlet she is worried that, as military and federal employees go without paychecks, it may impact the business’s sales.
“You can tell when people get their checks, because that’s when they’re in the shop,” she said.
President Trump defended the GOP approach, telling CNN that Republicans are “winning” the standoff. However, CNN reports that some of his advisers have privately expressed concern that the shutdown’s political impact could be more complex than expected, as Democrats hold firm on healthcare demands and polls show Americans remain divided over who they feel is responsible.
