Trump refuses to negotiate, says he ‘won’t be extorted’ by Democrats as shutdown enters sixth week
President Donald Trump ruled out negotiations with Democrats to end the six-week government shutdown, saying he “won’t be extorted.” The impasse threatens millions of Americans’ paychecks and food aid, while air travel delays and public frustration deepen nationwide.
Washington: President Donald Trump says he “won’t be extorted” by Democrats to reopen the government, making clear that he has no plans to negotiate as the government shutdown will soon enter its sixth week.
In an interview on CBS’s “60 Minutes” that aired on Sunday, Trump said that Democrats who are demanding an extension in health care subsidies “have lost their way” and predicted that they will eventually capitulate to Republicans who have said they won’t negotiate until they vote to reopen the government.
“I think they have to,” Trump said. “And if they don’t vote, it’s their problem.” Trump’s comments signal that the shutdown could continue to drag on for some time as federal workers, including air traffic controllers, are set to miss additional paychecks and as there is uncertainty over whether 42 million Americans who received federal food aid will be able to access the assistance.
Senate Democrats have now voted 13 times against reopening the government, insisting that they need Trump and Republicans to negotiate with them first on an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to expire at the end of the year.
Instead of negotiating, the president reiterated his pleas to Republican leaders to change Senate rules and scrap the filibuster. But Senate Republicans have rejected that idea, arguing that the rule requiring 60 votes to overcome any objections in the Senate is vital to the institution and has allowed them to stop Democratic policies when they are in the minority.
“Republicans have to get tougher,” Trump said in the CBS interview. “If we end the filibuster, we can do exactly what we want.” With the two parties at a standstill, the shutdown, now in its 33rd day, appears likely to become the longest in history. The previous record was set in 2019, when Trump demanded that Congress give him money for a US-Mexico border wall.
A potentially decisive week
Trump’s push on the filibuster could prove a distraction for Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-SD, and Republican senators who have opted instead to stay the course as the consequences of the shutdown have become more acute.
Republicans are hoping that at least some Democrats will eventually give them the votes they need as moderates have been in weekslong talks with rank-and-file Republicans about potential compromises that could guarantee votes on health care in exchange for reopening the government. Republicans need five additional Democrats to pass their bill.
“We need five with a backbone to say we care more about the lives of the American people than about gaining some political leverage,” Thune said on the Senate floor as the Senate left Washington for the weekend on Thursday.
Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, a Democrat, said on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday that there is a group of people talking about “a path to fix the health care debacle” and a commitment from Republicans not to fire more federal workers. But it’s still unclear if those talks could produce a meaningful compromise.
Far apart on Obamacare subsidies
Trump said in the “60 Minutes” interview that the Affordable Care Act, often known as Obamacare because it was signed and championed by former President Barack Obama, is “terrible” and that if the Democrats vote to reopen the government, “we will work on fixing the bad health care that we have right now.”
Democrats feel differently, arguing that the marketplaces set up by the ACA are working as record numbers of Americans have signed up for the coverage. But they want to extend subsidies first enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic so that premiums won’t go up for millions of people on January 1.
“We want to sit down with Thune, with (House Speaker Mike) Johnson, with Trump, and negotiate a way to address this horrible health care crisis,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said last week.
