- Trump says shutdown is ‘a significant factor’ behind GOP setbacks.
- The longest government shutdown enters its sixth week amid political impasse.
- Airports and social programs are facing increasing pressure due to the shutdown.
US President Donald Trump acknowledged Tuesday that Democrats’ massive electoral gains were a sign of growing difficulties for Republicans, calling the results “not good” and linking the setbacks to the record federal government shutdown, now stretching into its sixth week.
His remarks came hours after Democratic candidates Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill scored gubernatorial victories in Virginia and New Jersey, while Zohran Mamdani easily defeated Trump-backed Andrew Cuomo in the New York mayoral race.
In Virginia, Democrat Jay Jones also won the attorney general race, overcoming a scandal dating to 2022.
Trump made the statement while speaking to Republican senators at a White House breakfast Wednesday morning. Trump reflected on the outcome, saying it wasn’t a positive evening for anyone.
The US president said: “We had an interesting evening, we learned a lot and we are going to talk about it.” CNBC reported.
He attributed the Republican setbacks in part to the prolonged government shutdown, citing pollsters who found that “a significant and negative factor for Republicans.” Trump added that some analysts saw his absence from the vote as the most important factor.
Trump accused Democrats of being ready to destroy the country as the government shutdown on Wednesday became the longest in history, eclipsing the record of 35 days set during the Republican leader’s first term.
Federal agencies have been at a standstill since Congress failed to approve funding after Sept. 30, and the pain has intensified as social programs — including aid that helps millions of Americans pay for groceries — hang in the balance.
Some 1.4 million federal workers, from air traffic controllers to park rangers, remain on forced leave or are working without pay. Some courts are using emergency funds to stay open and warning that operations could slow if the shutdown continues.
Hours before the record shutdown collapsed at midnight, the Trump administration sounded the alarm about unrest at the nation’s airports if the crisis extends into November, with worsening staffing shortages snarling airports and closing sections of airspace.
Thanksgiving air travel is expected to set a new record this year, according to forecasts from the American Automobile Association (AAA), with 5.8 million people set to take a domestic flight during the Nov. 27 holiday.
More than 60,000 air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents are working without pay, and the White House has warned that increased absenteeism could lead to chaos in check-in lines.
Airport employees calling in sick rather than working without pay — leading to significant delays — were a major factor in Trump’s decision to end the 2019 shutdown.
Both Democrats and Republicans, however, remain steadfast on the main sticking point of the current shutdown: health care spending.
‘Challenge’
Democrats say they will only cast votes to end the funding gap after a deal is reached to extend expiring insurance subsidies, which make health care affordable for millions of Americans.
But Republicans insist they won’t tackle health care until Democrats vote to turn the lights back on in Washington.
Although leaders on both sides have been reluctant to compromise, there have been signs of life on the backbenches, with a handful of moderate Democrats scrambling to find a way out.
A separate bipartisan group of four centrist House members unveiled a compromise framework Monday to lower health insurance costs.
Democrats say the fact that millions of Americans are seeing their premiums skyrocket as they sign up for health insurance programs for next year will put pressure on Republicans to seek a compromise.
But Trump stood firm on his refusal to negotiate, telling CBS News in an interview broadcast Sunday that he “wouldn’t be extorted.”
The president has sought to apply his own pressure to force Democrats to concede by threatening mass layoffs of federal workers and using the shutdown to target progressive priorities.
Trump on Tuesday reiterated his administration’s threat to eliminate a vital aid program that helps 42 million Americans pay for groceries for the first time in its more than 60-year history, even though the move was blocked by two courts.
The White House later clarified, however, that it was “in full compliance” with its legal obligations and was working to obtain partial SNAP payments “as much as possible and as quickly as possible.”
