WASHINGTON: The bitter tribalism that drove the United States into a government shutdown is putting compromise out of reach, analysts say – and threatening to turn a staring contest between the Democrats and Donald Trump’s Republicans into a protracted crisis.
As the nation enters its second week with federal agencies paralyzed, multiple strategists with vivid memories of previous standoffs told AFP the president and his foes could be in it for the long haul.
“It’s possible this shutdown drags on for weeks, not just days,” said Andrew Koneschusky, a former press secretary for Senator Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader at the center of the latest deadlock.
“Right now, both sides are dug in and there’s very little talk of compromise.”
At the heart of the showdown is a Democratic demand for an extension of health care subsidies that are due to expire – meaning sharply increased costs for millions of low-income Americans.
On Sunday, Trump blamed minority Democrats for blocking his funding resolution, which needs a handful of their votes.
“They’re causing it. We’re ready to go back,” Trump told reporters at the White House, sounding resigned to a shutdown dragging on.
Trump also told reporters Sunday his administration has already started to permanently fire – not merely furlough – federal workers, again blaming his rivals for “causing the loss of a lot of jobs.”
In March, when the threat of a shutdown last loomed, Democrats blinked first, voting for a six-month Republican resolution to keep the coffers stacked despite policy misgivings.
But Schumer – the top Senate Democrat – was lambasted by the party’s base, and will be reluctant to cave this time around as he faces potential primary challenges from the left.
