As the government shutdown enters its 36th day, Democrats and Republicans remain steadfast on health care spending.
Published November 5, 2025
The U.S. government shutdown is entering its 36th day, the longest on record in U.S. history, and disrupting the lives of millions of Americans.
Cuts to federal programs that affected food assistance, among other important aspects of daily life, flight delays and forced unpaid work for federal employees across the country were set to continue with no end in sight Wednesday.
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Congress’ failure to approve funding past Sept. 30 has brought federal agencies to a standstill, adding to the pain as welfare programs stall.
President Donald Trump, who set a record for government shutdowns during his first term in the White House, is scheduled to hold a breakfast meeting with Republican senators early Wednesday. However, no talks with the Democratic Party are scheduled.
President Trump has refused to negotiate with Democrats over his demand to recover expired health care subsidies until Democrats agree to reopen the government, claiming Democrats are “extorting” him.
Hours before the closure record was broken late Tuesday night, the Trump administration warned that if the crisis lasted beyond six weeks, worsening staffing shortages would disrupt airports, shut down parts of the airspace, and disrupt airports across the country.
Transport Secretary Sean Duffy predicted there could be chaos in the skies next week if air traffic controllers are not paid new salaries.
Air travel on November 27, the busiest day in the U.S., is expected to set a new record for air travel this year, with 5.8 million people expected to take domestic flights, the American Automobile Association predicts.
More than 60,000 air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration employees are working without pay, and the White House warned that increased absenteeism could lead to chaos at check-in lines.
Airport workers calling in sick people rather than working without pay caused significant delays and were a key factor in ending the airport shutdown in 2019, which began with President Trump’s request for funds to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.
However, Democrats and Republicans remain firm on health care costs, the biggest bottleneck in the current economic shutdown.
Democrats say they will vote to end the funding lapse only if they reach a deal that makes health care affordable for millions of Americans.
Republicans claim they will only address health care issues if Democrats vote to turn the lights back on in Washington, D.C.
While leaders on both sides have shown little appetite for compromise, there are signs of energy on the back benches, with a handful of moderate Democrats working to find a way out.
A separate bipartisan group of four centrist House members on Monday announced a compromise framework to lower health care costs.
Democrats believe millions of Americans will see higher premiums when they sign up for health insurance programs next year, putting pressure on Republicans to reach a compromise.
President Trump had sought to pressure Democrats into yielding by threatening mass layoffs of federal workers and targeting the government shutdown on progressive priorities.
On Tuesday, he repeated his threat to cut off a critical aid program that helps 42 million Americans buy groceries for the first time in more than 60 years, despite being blocked by two courts.
However, the White House later said it was in “full compliance” with its legal obligations and was working to make partial SNAP payments “as quickly as possible.”
