Shutdown Ties Record as Elections Create Possible Turning Point

Gautam Mukunda, Bloomberg Opinion contributor and lecturer at Yale School of Management, discusses progress on the US government shutdown as well as his outlook for the slew of elections happening across the country today.

The ongoing US government shutdown is now tied for the longest in history as the resolution of Tuesday’s high-profile elections in New York City and elsewhere stand to alter the political dynamics in Washington, and potentially remove one obstacle to ending the standoff.

Once the off-year elections — which include gubernatorial contests in New Jersey and Virginia as well as New York’s mayoral race — are in the rear-view mirror, both political parties will be in a sprint to win control of Congress in next year’s midterms. But it’s not yet clear whether the outcome of Tuesday’s vote will further divide the parties or make them more amenable to compromise.

Several Republicans have suggested that Democrats have dug in on the shutdown for fear of angering their progressive base in the days before the elections. But big wins by Democrats on Tuesday could also embolden the party, which has few opportunities to exert itself in Donald Trump’s Washington.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune returned to Washington on Monday from a long weekend, telling reporters he’s “optimistic” the shutdown could end this week.

But he also signaled that the Nov. 21 deadline in the House-passed stopgap spending bill, which Senate Democrats have rejected some 13 times, is no longer sufficient.

The South Dakota Republican said he plans to hold a vote this week on a longer stopgap, to buy the parties time to negotiate full-year spending bills. A new bill would give Democrats an opportunity to make fresh demands, such as ensuring back pay for furloughed federal workers or other protections for a government workforce Trump has targeted in his first year back in office

Democrats, meanwhile, continue to insist that Republicans address the expiration of Affordable Care Act premium subsidies in any deal to end the shutdown. Open enrollment for some 22 million Americans opened on Nov. 1, and many face spikes in premiums starting Jan. 1.

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