Trump returns to DC as dim outlook lingers, no end in sight for shutdown

With the federal government still closed, President Donald Trump begins the week back from Florida at the center of a political stalemate that shows no signs of easing.

The standoff, now dragging into its third week, comes as the Trump administration and congressional Republicans remain at odds with Democrats over health care subsidies.

GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN 101: WE’VE BEEN HERE BEFORE, HERE’S WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

President Donald Trump has placed blame on Democrats for prolonging the federal government shutdown. (Francis Chung/Politico/Bloomberg/Getty Images)

Trump has placed the blame squarely on Democrats for the shutdown that has triggered thousands of federal layoffs, frozen billions in infrastructure funding and rippled through local economies nationwide.

“The Democrats are kamikazes right now. They’re kamikaze pilots right now. They have nothing going. They have no future,” Trump said during an exclusive interview on “Sunday Morning Futures.“

‘THAT ENDS NOW:’ WHITE HOUSE VOWS REMOVAL OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM TAXPAYER BENEFITS

The longest government shutdown occurred during the first Trump administration and lasted 34 days. (Eric Lee/Bloomberg/Getty Images)

Democrats say failure to act before November’s open enrollment could saddle millions of Americans with higher premiums. The White House argues that the Democrats’ plan includes billions for Medicaid coverage for undocumented immigrants, which Trump claims would put Americans’ health care at risk.

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Though once uncommon, government shutdowns have grown more frequent in recent decades as political brinkmanship has become a hallmark of budget negotiations.

Since 1976, the U.S. government has experienced 20 shutdowns. The most recent one, the longest in U.S. history, occurred when a dispute over funding Trump’s border wall halted government operations for 34 days, spanning from December 2018 into January 2019. 

Senators on Thursday failed for the tenth time to break the impasse, leaving the government shutdown unresolved. Meanwhile, the House has been adjourned since Sept. 19 and is not expected to reconvene until the shutdown ends.