President Trump calls on Democrats to end government shutdown
“All they have to do is open up the country,” President Donald Trump told reporters on Sunday (Nov. 2), calling on Democrats to end the U.S. government shutdown.
WASHINGTON — With just days left until the record-setting longest government shutdown in U.S. history, the standoff between Republicans and Democrats over federal funding continues with no end in sight.
As of Monday, the federal government shutdown that began Oct. 1 was in its 34th day, leaving one day left until the record-breaking 2019 government shutdown.
President Donald Trump on Sunday night called on Democrats to abandon their push to include expanded health care subsidies in the spending deal and vote for a Republican-backed government reopening bill.
The president said that while lawmakers work on a long-term spending bill, voting for a short-term Republican bill that would continue spending at current levels would also allow Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits to be paid.
President Trump previously directed government lawyers to examine how benefits could be legally distributed during the shutdown after two courts said the government could not cut them off. The administration had until November 3rd to respond.
“It’s a much easier situation than that. If they vote to open the country, it opens right away. We don’t even have to think about it,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One Sunday night.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said the rule is an “important safeguard” for lawmakers as President Trump continues to urge the Senate to lift the filibuster in order to reopen the government.
“We understand that desperate times call for desperate measures, and we also understand that traditionally we have considered that to be an important safeguard,” Johnson told his weekly press conference.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he had spoken privately with the president over the weekend “candidly and honestly” and that the president was “very passionate” about the issue.
“I think what’s going on in the discussions that we’re having is a reflection of the anger, the real desperation that we feel in wanting the government to reopen,” Johnson said. “We want to serve the American people as best we can, and we’re all keeping a close eye on anything that gets in the way of that.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson said Monday he doesn’t know legally how emergency funds could be used to restart SNAP benefits, even though two federal judges have ordered the Trump administration to continue the program.
Federal Judge Indira Talwani in Massachusetts has given the Trump administration by Monday a timeline for deciding whether to approve reduced benefits for at least November, and if so, whether to approve full benefits.
Johnson said he discussed the decision with Trump over the weekend, but said staff within the Trump administration told him the emergency fund could not legally be used if the underlying funds were suspended.
“There are two courts, there are two liberty courts, and my understanding is that Judge Obama said, ‘No, that’s not true, pay the money.’ Well, it’s more complicated than that,” Johnson said at his daily press briefing. “It’s not as easy as hitting send on your computer.”
Johnson said Trump asked the court how to spend the money while all the “legally savvy and number-crunching people” were “trying to figure out how we could do this.”
“I would be happy to do so if you give me guidance,” the House speaker said. “So that’s where we’re at this impasse right now. You know, the president hasn’t challenged this decision. He wants SNAP to happen, but he doesn’t see a mechanism to make it happen.”
As of Monday, the shutdown was at 34 days, the second-longest in history, but on track to match or surpass it.
The longest shutdown occurred during President Trump’s first term and lasted 35 days (from December 2018 to January 2019). During that shutdown, Republicans and Democrats fought over funding for Trump’s wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.
If the current closure period ends by Tuesday, November 4, it will be tied for the longest on record. If it reaches the 36th on November 5th, it will be the longest in history.
-Natalie Alland and Melina Kahn
Yes, Social Security payments, including Supplemental Security Income, retirement, disability, and survivor benefits, will continue during the government shutdown.
Social Security benefit programs are considered mandatory expenditures by law and are therefore not affected by the expiration of appropriations. Payments will continue to be made regularly during the shutdown.
Social Security offices will remain open during the closure, but only some services will be available.
– Sudiksha Kochi and Melina Khan
Federal Judge Indira Talwani of Massachusetts said in a written decision that the government must use reserve funds to the extent necessary to maintain funding for the SNAP program. He also said the government is allowed to transfer other funds derived from import fees to supplement the emergency fund.
Mr. Talwani ordered his administration to provide a timeline by Nov. 3 for deciding whether to approve reductions in benefits for at least November, and if so, whether to approve full benefits as well.
Meanwhile, Rhode Island Judge John McConnell, in a brief written in the Oct. 31 docket after the court hearing, ordered the government to allocate the reserve funds and report on the allocation by noon on Nov. 3. In response to the order, the administration filed a motion saying the judge should better explain what is needed, including the reasons.
McConnell responded in a written order on Nov. 1, saying the government must use reserve funds for at least a portion of November’s benefits, with the option of using other available funds. Mr. McConnell asked the administration to pay the full amount by Nov. 3 if it intends to use discretionary funds to make that possible. He said if the administration chooses to pay only a portion of the reserve fund, it must do so by Nov. 5.
Mr McConnell’s offer to extend the deadline for partial payments may come as the government has said that implementing partial payments in the country requires tweaks to the existing system.
The government has argued that it cannot tap into emergency funds to pay SNAP benefits during the government shutdown, and even if it could, the funds would not be enough to cover November.
Appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries accused Trump and the Republican Party of trying to “weaponize hunger and withhold SNAP benefits” in the court ruling that ordered the funding.
“We’re asking Republicans to sit down because they’ve shown that they’re willing to sit down with them on Capitol Hill and in the White House, anytime and anywhere, to find a bipartisan path to enacting a spending deal that actually improves the lives of Americans,” Jeffries said.
In an interview on CBS’s “60 Minutes,” President Trump reiterated his promise to meet with Democrats to fix the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, but said Democrats must first agree to reopen the government.
The Obamacare premium notice was issued on November 1 and is expected to double. Most Democrats refuse to reopen the government until subsidies are extended to help people pay for these costs.
“This is bad health care that comes at a far too high price,” President Trump said. “You should fix that.”
Norah O’Donnell said three-quarters of the people facing premium increases live in states won by Trump. But President Trump insisted the government needed to be reopened before health care negotiations could begin.
“I’m not going to do it through blackmail,” Trump said.
In an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes,” President Trump reiterated his call for the Senate to abolish the filibuster, which allows the minority party to block legislation even if fellow Republicans want to keep it in place.
Republicans hold 53 seats in the Senate, but need 60 to pass the controversial bill. Democrats blocked a short-term funding bill to keep the government running by insisting on expanding health care funding.
President Trump called on Senate Republicans to eliminate the filibuster. But Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota and other Republicans want to keep the filibuster in place to encourage bipartisan compromise and ensure minorities have a say in the debate.
President Trump said, “Republicans have to get tougher.” “I like John Thune. I think he’s great, but I don’t agree with him on this.”
