Talks to end the government shutdown intensify as federal closure nears longest ever

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Talks intensified Tuesday toward a potential end to the government shutdown, as the federal closure was on track to become the longest ever, disrupting the lives of millions of Americans.

But tensions also rose as senators from both parties, Republicans and Democrats, quietly negotiated the contours of an emerging deal. With a nod from their leadership, the senators are seeking a way to reopen the government, put the normal federal funding process back on track and devise some sort of resolution for expiring health insurance subsidies that are spiking premium costs from coast to coast.

“Enough is enough,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, the South Dakota Republican, as he opened the deadlocked chamber.

On day 35 of the federal government shutdown, the record for the longest will be broken after midnight. SNAP benefits have been interrupted for millions of Americans depending on federal food aid and hundreds of thousands of federal employees have been furloughed or are working without pay. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted there could be chaos in the skies next week if air traffic controllers miss another paycheck. Labor unions put pressure on lawmakers to reopen the government.

President Donald Trump has stayed largely on the sidelines, refusing to negotiate over the demands for health care funds until government reopens, and Democrats are wary of making any deal with Republicans unless it has approval from the White House.

Democratic senators emerged stone-faced from a two-hour discussion at the Capitol.

“We're exploring all the options,” said Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer afterward.

Trump abruptly invited senators from his own Republican Party for a private breakfast meeting Wednesday.

Tuesday's elections provide an inflection point, with off-year races that will show voter attitudes, a moment of political assessment many hope will turn the tide. Another test vote Tuesday in the Senate failed, as Democrats rejected a temporary government funding bill.

“These people are worth fighting for," said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., about those experiencing rising health care costs.

Unlike the shutdown during Trump's first term, when he fought Congress in 2018-19 for funds to build the U.S.-Mexico border wall, the president has been relatively quiet.

But on Tuesday, Trump issued a fresh threat, warning he would halt food aid under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program unless Democrats agree to reopen the government.

SNAP benefits “will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government, which they can easily do, and not before!” Trump said on social media. That seemed to defy court orders to release the SNAP contingency funds.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said later that the administration continues to pay out SNAP funding in line with court orders.

But Democrats in the House and the Senate warned that Trump cannot be trusted to follow the law or keep his word.

“What message do you think it means when the president says, ‘I’m not going to release those funds’?” Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., asked. Democrats demanded the House reopen for negotiations.

Since House Speaker Mike Johnson sent lawmakers home in September, attention is on the Senate. There, the leadership has outsourced negotiations to a loose group of centrist dealmakers from both parties who have been quietly charting a way to end the standoff.

Central to any endgame will be a series of agreements that would need to be upheld not only by the Senate, but also the House, and the White House, which is not at all certain in Washington where Republicans have full control of the government.

First of all, senators from both parties, particularly the powerful members of the Appropriations Committee, are pushing to ensure the normal government funding process can be put back on track.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., along with several Democrats, including Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire and Chris Coons of Delaware, are among those working behind the scenes.

“The pace of talks have increased,” said Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., who has been involved in conversations.

Among the goals is guaranteeing upcoming votes on a smaller package of bills where there is already widespread bipartisan agreement to fund various aspects of governments, like agricultural programs and military construction projects at bases.

“I certainly think that that three-bill package is primed to do a lot of good things for the American people,” said Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., who has also been in talks.

More difficult, a substantial number of senators also want some resolution to the standoff over the funding for the Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to expire at year's end.

The White House says its position remains unchanged and that Democrats must vote to fund the government until talks over health care can begin. White House officials are in close contact with GOP senators who have been quietly speaking with key Senate Democrats, according to a senior White House official. The official was granted anonymity to discuss administration strategy.

With insurance premium notices being sent, millions of Americans are experiencing sticker shock on skyrocketing prices. The loss of federal subsidies, which come in the form of tax credits, are expected to leave many people unable to buy health insurance.

Republicans are reluctant to fund the health care program, also known as Obamacare. But Thune has promised Democrats a vote on their preferred proposal, on a date certain, as part of any deal to reopen government.

That's not enough for some senators, who see the health care deadlock as part of their broader concerns with Trump's direction for the country.

With the Senate, which is split 53-47, having tried and failed more than a dozen times to advance the House-passed bill over a filibuster by Democrats, that measure is out of date. It would have funded government to Nov. 21. The GOP leaders have acknowledged they will need a new temporary measure that would keep the government running into the new year, but have not settled on a new date.

Trump has demanded senators nuke the filibuster, the Senate rule that requires a 60-vote threshold to advance most legislation, which preserves minority rights in the chamber. GOP senators panned that demand.

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Associated Press writers Kevin Freking, Stephen Groves, Seung Min Kim and Matt Brown contributed to this story.