Government shutdown enters its fourth week
WASHINGTON (NBC, KYMA) - The government shutdown is entering its fourth week, making this the second longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
Both sides are digging in harder, with President Donald Trump inviting almost all Republican senators to thank them for their work on his agenda.
Caught in the middle are federal workers, and the community is coming together to help their neighbors get through tough economic times.
On the Senate floor, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) presented an all-night speech on ending the government shutdown and protesting President Trump's policies.
"Now it is our United States Constitution under attack by the President of the United States," Sen. Merkley expressed.
This comes as top congressional Democrats are demanding a meeting with the president to negotiate an end to the shutdown, addressing a looming spike in healthcare premiums for millions of Americans.
"The President should meet with us. It's not me, him, or anything political. It's that the people are in crisis," said Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Senate Minority Leader.
"I will only meet if they let the country open. They have to let the country open," Trump spoke.
The president met with Senate Republicans Tuesday, united in their stance that only Democrats can end the shutdown by signing on to a short-term funding bill which has now failed 11 times.
"We are going to keep voting to open up the government, and eventually, the Democrats, hopefully sooner or later are going to come around," said Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), Senate Majority Leader.
Lawmakers acknowledged even informal bipartisan talks have stopped, with Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) saying, "Because there can't be another conversation that continues until we open the government."
Amid the stalemate, a real pain for American families, with federal workers missing paychecks, and demand is surging at food banks across the country.
And now, low income SNAP food benefits are in jeopardy, with funding running out November 1.
"If those SNAP dollars get cut in half, that would mean that a local food center, a food bank, would have to quadruple their output just to meet that need," said Craig Rice with Manna Food Center.
A growing crisis with no end in sight.
The same November 1 deadline when benefits, like SNAP, face losing funding, open enrollment for Obamacare kicks off.
That's when Democrats expect the pressure to mount as Americans get a look at soaring premiums, but Republicans maintain they'll have those discussions before subsidies expire as long as the government's reopened.
