Federal government shutdown on pace to be longest in U.S. history

WASHINGTON — The Senate will reconvene on Monday, but with the House still in recess this week, the monthlong federal government shutdown appears on pace to break the 35-day record for the longest in U.S. history.

Monday marks Day 34 of the shutdown, and both parties remain gridlocked on a short-term spending bill to reopen the federal government, making it unlikely a deal will be reached before Election Day on Tuesday. Lawmakers and the White House will be closely watching the results of the New York City mayoral race and tight gubernatorial contests in New Jersey and Virginia to get a pulse of voter sentiment nearly a year into President Donald Trump’s return to the White House.

The Trump administration was ordered last week to release emergency federal funds to partially pay for SNAP food assistance benefits for more than 42 million low-income Americans. On Sunday, whether the administration would heed the court order, or appeal, remained to be seen.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, appearing Sunday on CNN’s "State of the Union," said the Trump administration "could be" potentially releasing the funding, but also argued the "easiest" path to restore the food stamp program would be for Senate Democrats to provide Senate Republicans the necessary votes to pass the short-term spending bill.

"There’s a process that has to be followed, so we’ve got to figure out what the process is," Bessent said of releasing the funding.

Heading into the week, both sides remained entrenched in their positions on the Sunday political talk show circuit. Democrats insisted any short-term spending bill should include an extension of health care tax credits set to expire at the end of the year. Republicans argued the spending bill should be passed without any Democratic concessions.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), in an interview with Fox News Sunday, said Trump, who presided over the record-breaking 35-day shutdown during his first term, was "desperate for the government to open," and defended the president’s call last week for Senate Republicans to end the chamber’s filibuster rule, a move that would allow Republicans to pass the bill with a simple-majority along partisan lines.

"He’s tried everything he can," Johnson said of Trump.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-Brooklyn), also appearing on CNN, placed the blame on Johnson and Republicans in the House overall for not reconvening the chamber for the past six weeks. Jeffries also blamed Trump, offering the president's weekend at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, instead of brokering a bipartisan deal, as proof that neither he nor Republicans in Congress are serious about negotiating with Democrats.

"Why have House Republicans remained on a taxpayer-funded vacation for the last six weeks?" Jeffries said. "They keep canceling votes. They have canceled votes for next week. Of course, they are unserious as it relates to reopening the government. Why has Donald Trump spent more time on the golf course, including this weekend, than he has in talking to Democrats on Capitol Hill, who represent half of the country?"

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy continued to warn that more airport delays are expected if the shutdown continues to drag on and air traffic controllers are asked to continue working without pay.

Duffy told ABC News’ "This Week" there was already a nationwide shortage of air traffic controllers and the shutdown was only adding to the strain of overextended workers.

"If the government doesn’t open in the next week or two, we’ll look back as these were the good days, not the bad days," Duffy said.

By Laura Figueroa Hernandez

laura.figueroa@newsday.com@Laura_Figueroa

Laura Figueroa Hernandez is the White House correspondent and previously covered New York City politics and government. She joined Newsday in 2012 after covering state and local politics for The Miami Herald.