【Text by Observers Network, Qi Qian】

The U.S. federal government has been "closed" for the second week, seriously affecting the lives of Americans across the country, but the two parties in Congress seem determined to clash.

According to a report from CNN on October 10, Democratic members of Congress will "stick to their guns" and are prepared to face off with Republicans for several weeks. A senior Democratic congressional aide said that public opinion is currently favorable to Democrats, so they will not compromise with the Trump administration and Republicans unless "airplanes fall from the sky".

Indeed, Americans are extremely sensitive to the idea of "airplanes falling from the sky".

On local time October 10, White House Press Secretary Levitt and U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy launched attacks, accusing Democrats of "hostaging public opinion." Levitt called this statement "disgusting," while Duffy strongly criticized Democrats as "low and despicable."

Both parties are unwilling to back down. To break the deadlock, the Trump administration began to take the drastic measure of layoffs. According to a court filing released on October 10, the White House Office of Management and Budget has started to lay off a large number of federal employees, with more than 4,000 people expected to be laid off.

Democrats: No rush, advantage is on us

The report states that October 15 is the pay day for American soldiers, but now there is a risk of being unpaid.

However, dozens of Democratic lawmakers and senior aides told CNN that Democrats are anxious about the possibility of active-duty soldiers missing their pay, as it has never happened on a large scale in modern U.S. history, but the Democratic leadership has decided to stand firm and not compromise.

CNN believes this is a major gamble for Democrats. However, they believe that the longer they hold out, the more public opinion will favor them, because they expect millions of Americans to soon receive email notifications about significant increases in health insurance premiums. They believe that public pressure could force Trump and Republican leaders to make concessions and agree to extend billions of dollars in subsidies under the Affordable Care Act.

According to multiple sources, in recent days, few Democrats have raised concerns in private party meetings or between lawmakers. One senior aide said, "It's shocking how everyone is in sync."

U.S. government "shutdown", impact on multiple federal public services across the country, media video screenshot

"I will continue to fight to the end," said Georgia Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock, "I come from a state where military personnel are. They should get their salaries, and working people should also get healthcare. This is not an either-or issue, but something that can be done together." Warnock mentioned that a retired librarian in his state called to say that his basic health coverage cost would jump from $441 per month to over $1,100.

"We want to see soldiers get their pay," Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said during a face-to-face conversation with reporters on the 8th, "The best way is for Republicans to sit down and negotiate with us."

The report says that employees in many industries across the country will miss the payroll deadline, but many Democrats still believe they have the upper hand in public opinion. They point out that a poll shows more voters blame the Republicans. According to a survey published by The Washington Post on the 7th, 47% blamed Trump and the Republicans, 30% blamed the Democrats, and 23% were unsure.

A Democratic supporter urged senators not to waver. "I expect senators to continue fighting until we reach an agreement, protecting us from Trump's healthcare cuts, rising prices, and illegal acts."

In addition, cracks appeared within the Republican Party, such as Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene warning that if Republicans do not act to prevent health insurance premium increases, Americans will face higher healthcare costs.

"Airplanes don't fall from the sky, and the government doesn't open up"

Another senior Democratic congressional aide said that as long as public perception is favorable to Democrats, they will not give in unless "airplanes fall from the sky".

However, this statement was immediately used by the Trump administration as a tool to attack Democrats.

"Wow! Now the Democrats say they won't end the government shutdown unless 'airplanes fall from the sky' due to a shortage of air traffic controllers," White House Press Secretary Levitt posted a screenshot of the CNN report on social media platform X and wrote, "This is one of the most disgusting statements I've ever read."

Levitt's tweet screenshot

Following that, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy shared Levitt's tweet. He also attacked, saying, "I thought the Democrats couldn't get any lower. This is really despicable. Our aviation safety isn't a joke. Don't use our air traffic controllers' pay as a hostage anymore!"

Duffy's tweet screenshot

At the same time as the two parties started a war of words, CNN noted that there are also voices of doubt within the Democratic Party, fearing that the Democratic strategy might backfire and lead to political consequences that damage the party's national image.

The potential trap of the Democratic hardline strategy lies in the fact that many Americans have not yet received notices from insurers about increased premium costs.

The date when people receive these email notifications may vary by state.

A member of the House of Representatives who was allowed to speak anonymously about the matter said that they are worried that Americans may not understand the party's linking of the "shutdown" to the imminent increase in health insurance premiums. The person said, "No one has truly been harmed yet."

Behind the scenes, the House Democratic leadership has asked members to collect personal stories about rising health insurance premiums in their states. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries recently called on Americans during a press conference, "When you receive that email, please share it with us."

CNN found from an email notification from a health insurance company that the email mentions the rise in healthcare costs but does not specify the exact increase.

Two parties are exchanging blame and continuing to clash

Due to the failure of both parties in the Senate to pass a temporary funding bill, the U.S. government shut down again at midnight on October 1st local time.

Since the 1970s, the U.S. federal government has experienced over 20 shutdowns due to policy differences between the two parties, most of which lasted only a few days. The most recent and longest shutdown occurred during Trump's first presidential term.

On local time October 8, the Senate Democrats voted six times to block a bill aimed at ending the federal government shutdown. Currently, the U.S. federal government has been closed for the second week, and there has been little progress in finding a solution.

The two parties are blaming each other for the stalemate. The White House and Republicans accuse Democratic lawmakers of wanting to provide free medical care for undocumented immigrants, but Democrats deny this and condemn Republicans for refusing communication and negotiation.

As the pay day for American soldiers approaches, the two parties have launched a new round of public campaigns.

According to Fox News, on October 10, U.S. Republican Congressman Mike Collins from Georgia released a digital advertisement blaming Democrats for the ongoing government shutdown. In the ad, he wrote, "Flight delays. Military families aren't paid. Why? Blame the Democrats for demanding free medical care for undocumented immigrants."

In response, Georgia Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff retorted that Collins was using the government shutdown to avoid other political topics.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, the government shutdown will result in approximately 750,000 federal employees being forced to take unpaid leave, including airport staff. Reuters mentioned that during the government shutdown, about 13,000 air traffic controllers and about 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers must still work, but their wages have not been paid or guaranteed, so many of them have taken sick leave during this period.

According to Reuters, since Monday (6th), over 20,000 flight delays have occurred nationwide due to the absence of air traffic controllers, with 4,600 delays alone on the 9th. In addition, due to the absence of security personnel, the waiting time for airport security checks has also increased.

On the 8th, President Trump referred to flight delays as "Democratic delays" when answering reporters' questions at the White House.

Trump administration playing "blame-shifting" videos at airports nationwide, video screenshot

Facing complaints from travelers across the country, the Trump administration decided to "do something" and "shift blame". On local time October 19, the Trump administration began to play "blame-shifting" videos blaming Democrats for the government shutdown that had lasted over a week across the country.

Duffy, on October 9, gave an interview on Fox News, praised those air traffic controllers who did not receive their pay but still went to work every day, saying that they accounted for 90% to 95%. He also warned, "Only a small portion of people didn't come to work, but their actions could cause great chaos... If our employees don't meet our requirements, aren't dedicated, we will fire them. I cannot tolerate absenteeism."

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Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7559859236151394859/

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