संसदीय गतिरोध के बीच अमेरिकी सरकार के बंद होने का खतरा मंडराता हुआ

"...The bitter stalemate between Trump and Democrats has been building for months, with the minority party watching as the GOP slashed Medicaid to pay for tax cuts, deployed US troops to police blue cities, trample over Congress’s own spending authority and now, use the Department of Justice to go after political enemies like former FBI Director James Comey...."

"...With their base firmly behind them, Schumer and his Democrats are refusing to support the GOP’s funding extension without major policy concessions from Trump — including billions of dollars to help make Obamacare more affordable...."

"...But Trump and the GOP are in no mood for dealmaking, and the administration is showing it will make things as painful as possible for Democrats as it threatens dramatic moves like permanent cuts to agency payrolls...."

"...Already, both parties are bracing for an ugly messaging battle over who voters will blame for the standoff...."

"...House Democrats plan to return to Washington on Monday night to attempt to maximize pressure on Trump and Republicans, but their side of the Capitol will be mostly empty...."

"...Speaker Mike Johnson is expected to keep his members at home for the week, with GOP leadership sources arguing that they have already done their job and it’s on Schumer to accept their plan...."

"...During previous shutdowns, like the one in 2013, House leaders have kept their members in Washington and held votes on funding key priorities — such as the military, veterans or border patrol...."

"...But Republicans say that would only offer political cover to vulnerable Democrats...."

"...GOP Rep. Adrian Smith of Nebraska said Friday that Trump’s expanded authority during a shutdown — with more discretion over federal operations than usual — should deter Democrats from letting funding lapse...."

"...Even with the White House’s threat of permanent firings if the federal government does shut down, congressional Republicans are fiercely united in the belief that Democrats are instigating the fight and will pay the political price...."

"...But Democrats argue GOP leaders are underestimating their party’s anger at Trump and overestimating their skittishness of a shutdown...."

"...Inside the White House..."

"...At the White House, officials have demonstrated little additional urgency for averting a shutdown despite the looming deadline — contending that it’s Democrats’ sole responsibility to end the standoff by agreeing to a no-strings-attached funding stopgap...."

"...That view has been bolstered in recent days by Democrats’ refusal to narrow their demands down from an insistence on vague health care concessions, most of which the White House flatly ruled out at the beginning of negotiations weeks ago...."

"...Trump in recent days has sought to seize on Democrats’ nonspecific messaging and define their demands in a way that’s most advantageous for him, accusing the party of seeking to fund heath care for undocumented immigrants, ease restrictions at the southern border and advance transgender policies...."

"...In reality, Democrats have sought none of those things, focusing instead on efforts to reverse key health care funding cuts that Republicans passed earlier this year and extend certain subsidies for Affordable Care Act enrollees...."

"...But Democratic leaders have so far been reluctant to publicly specify areas for compromise, and Trump officials and Republican leaders — convinced that they hold the political advantage heading toward Tuesday — have seen no reason to weaken their hardline demand of a clean funding measure...."

"...“Republicans are basically saying, let’s just keep the government open, that is the simplicity of their messaging, that is a reasonable sentence to most Americans,” said Doug Heye, a longtime GOP strategist...."

"...“Nobody gets it better than Mike Johnson, and he understands the political messaging is advantageous.”..."