Gun to our head: Trump non-committal on talks as US shutdown continues
The U.S. government has been shut down for nine days, and both parties blame one another for the crisis. President Donald Trump has stayed vague about talks with Democrats to reopen the agencies, saying he does not want to be “held at gunpoint” by the issue. He added he hopes a deal can be reached quickly, but the public is unhappy with the delay.
Vice‑President Mike Davis (often called JD Vance in the media) blamed the Democrats for stopping the pay to soldiers. He warned that military service members and veterans could miss benefits because Senator Chuck Schumer’s budget opposition is keeping the government closed. Active‑duty troops are scheduled to miss their October 15 paycheck, and civilian employees are also furloughed.
Republicans accuse Democrats of demanding health‑care subsidies for illegal immigrants—a claim that Democrats deny. Instead, the Democrats want to reverse cuts to health‑care for American citizens that were made in a major bill passed earlier this year.
Air travel has been hit hard. Over 200 flights at Chicago’s airports were delayed on Thursday, and airports in New York, Denver, and Los Angeles reported similar problems earlier in the week. The chief cause is a shortage of air‑traffic controllers. About 13,000 controllers are working without pay, and many are missing shifts. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blamed the shutdown, saying controllers are “frustrated” but upset that they are forced to work without compensation because of the debate over immigration. The Department of Transportation has stopped hiring new and training existing controllers, further worsening the strain.
A federal program that subsidizes flight routes to rural communities is running out of money by the end of the week if the shutdown continues. Consequences include reduced air service for many small towns across the country.
National Park Service employees—about two‑thirds of the workforce—have been furloughed, affecting popular sites such as Carlsbad Caverns, Petrified Forest, and White Sandlands. In Washington, D.C., the Library of Congress, National Archives, the Washington Monument, and the National Arboretum are closed, and tours of the Capitol Building and the Pentagon have been suspended. The Smithsonian Institution, however, announced last week it would stay open to the public until October 11, as well as its National Zoo.
This shutdown is the first since a 35‑day closure in 2018, during Trump’s second term—the longest in U.S. history. Analysts say the government will likely reopen soon if the two sides can agree on funding, but the delay is already costing the country millions in lost revenue, disrupted services, and frustrated workers.
Source: ianslive
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