The Japan Times - Republicans warn of pain ahead as US shutdown faces second week

With Democrats refusing to give in over their demands for continued government health care subsidies in the budget, the White House says plans are being finalized for the firing of thousands of federal workers.

Shutdowns are a periodic feature of gridlocked Washington, when the two parties cannot agree on budget priorities. All non-essential workers are temporarily furloughed, or left without pay, while the parties work out their differences.

This time, the stakes are higher, with Trump threatening to permanently fire not merely furlough, government employees.

The impasse, in its fifth day, showed no signs of ending, with a top Democrat saying there had been no talks between congressional leaders since Monday.

"If the president decides that the negotiations are absolutely going nowhere, then there will start to be layoffs," Kevin Hassett, who directs the White House's National Economic Council, told CNN talkshow "State of the Union."

He insisted however that people are remaining "hopeful that, when we get a fresh start at the beginning of the week, that we can get the Democrats to see that it's just common sense to avoid layoffs like that."

While he and some congressional members have said conversations are continuing on ending the impasse, notably addressing the expiring Obamacare health subsidies, the Senate's Republican majority leader acknowledged the two sides were currently "at a stalemate."

"It's going to get uncomfortable," Senator John Thune told Fox News show "Sunday Morning Futures," adding that some behind-the-scenes discussions were addressing the potential extension of subsidies for Obamacare.

How long could the shutdown last? "Just as long as the Democrats want it to," Thune said.

But Republicans control the levers of power in Washington, and Democrats have laid the failure to keep the lights on squarely at the feet of Trump's party.

The minority Democrats seek to force Republicans to address the health care subsidies issue by blocking a Trump-backed temporary funding resolution that needs a handful of their votes.

In March, when the threat of a shutdown last loomed, Democrats blinked first, voting for a six-month Republican resolution to keep the coffers stacked despite policy misgivings.

Now, Democrats are demanding negotiations.

"If Republicans continue to refuse to extend the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) tax credits, tens of millions of American taxpayers are going to experience dramatically increased premiums, co-pays and deductibles," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

Shutdown concerns run across party lines, according to a CBS News poll released Sunday.

It showed just 28 percent of Americans support congressional Republicans' handling of the crisis, while congressional Democrats received 27 percent support.

The shutdown's effect on the economy is rattling Americans, with 49 percent of respondents saying they were very concerned and 31 percent somewhat concerned, compared to just 20 percent saying they are not concerned.

T.Maeda--JT