【By Observer Net, Qi Qian】

The U.S. government shutdown has lasted 36 days, setting a record for the longest in American history.

According to reports from Fox News and AFP, on November 5th local time, President Trump again blamed the Democratic Party for the government shutdown during a speech, comparing Democrats to the Japanese "Kamikaze" units that carried out suicide attacks during World War II.

"I think they are the Kamikaze," Trump said at a breakfast with Republican senators at the White House on that day. "I just came back from Japan, and I talked about the Kamikaze pilots. I think these guys are the Kamikaze. They will bring down the country when necessary."

He continued to accuse: "This is caused by the Democrats, but I think they haven't been held accountable enough."

"Kamikaze" is also known as "Kamikaze Suicide Squad." It was first proposed by Japanese Rear Admiral Takijiro Ohnishi. It was a product of the combination of backward military technology and fanatical militaristic ideas in Japan, aiming to gain battlefield results at the cost of soldiers' lives, but ultimately failed to change Japan's inevitable fate of defeat and surrender. According to CCTV, the "Kamikaze" became notorious for their suicide attacks on American fleets and other targets at the end of World War II.

Trump compared Democrats to the Japanese "Kamikaze" on November 5th, screenshot from video

In his speech on the 5th, Trump continued to emphasize that the government must end the shutdown as soon as possible and reopen.

Trump also pointed out that the government shutdown was the reason for the Republican losses in key elections such as the governor elections in Virginia and New Jersey on the 4th.

He said, "I think we will discuss what the results of the election on the 4th mean after the media leaves, what we should do, and the relationship between the government shutdown and the election results last night. I think the polls will show that the shutdown is an important factor, which is not favorable to the Republicans."

On the 4th local time, the United States held several local elections, including the highly anticipated mayoral election in New York City, the governor elections in New Jersey and Virginia. In these three key elections, the Democratic Party won "bigly," greatly boosting the morale of the party.

Incumbent governors of New Jersey Cheryl, Mayor of New York City Mammadani, and Governor of Virginia Spanberg, photo

At the time of Trump's speech, the deadlock over the "government shutdown" between the two parties continued.

Because the Senate majority and minority parties failed to pass a temporary funding bill, the U.S. government shut down again at midnight local time on October 1st.

The two parties continue to blame each other for the deadlock. The White House and Republicans accused Democrats of wanting to provide free medical care for illegal immigrants, but Democrats denied it and condemned Republicans for refusing communication and negotiation.

On the 4th local time, Senate Democrats refused to support the temporary funding bill proposed by Republicans. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said that Democrats firmly opposed measures that did not include the extension of subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. He said, "The only plan the Republicans have for healthcare seems to be canceling it and letting the working people figure it out themselves. That's not a healthcare plan; it's too cruel."

AFP mentioned that this record-breaking "government shutdown" has resulted in approximately 1.4 million federal employees still being forced to take unpaid leave or work without pay. Some courts are using emergency funds to maintain operations, while warning that if the government continues to shut down, court operations may slow down.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on the 5th that the flight capacity in 40 busy air traffic areas across the country will continue to decrease by 10% starting from this Friday. Data shows that more than 60,000 air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration officials are working without pay, and the absentee rate is continuously rising. Earlier media reports indicated that due to the absence of key staff, flight delays are frequent, and airport security wait times have also increased.

The report mentioned that Trump has consistently refused to negotiate and stated in a recent interview that he "would not be blackmailed."

Currently, the Trump administration is trying to force Democrats to make concessions by threatening large-scale cuts to federal employees and targeting the Democratic priorities. On the 4th local time, Trump once again threatened to cut an important aid program that helps 42 million Americans pay for groceries. However, given the seriousness of the matter, the White House later urgently clarified and "put out the fire."

Meanwhile, Democrats have taken a firm stance and also refused to compromise. CNN previously mentioned that Democratic members of Congress will "stand firm" and are prepared for a long battle. They believe that the longer they hold out, the more public opinion will favor them.

This article is an exclusive contribution from Observer Net. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7569461053407445545/

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