WASHINGTON – There are many questions about how to get out of the ongoing, seemingly intractable government shutdown. But there's no clear answer.
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill sound like broken records. President Donald Trump has been relatively preoccupied negotiating a ceasefire in the Middle East. And he has used the shutdown as an opportunity to reroute money on his own to programs and people he likes – while eliminating the ones he doesn't.
As the crisis stretches into its third week, no plausible off-ramps have come into view (yet). The Senate has struck down the same budget bills more than half a dozen times. Another vote on a Republican funding measure failed on Oct. 14.
More: When's the last time the federal government shut down? A look at the history
At some point, a number of variables in the shutdown equation could start to change those dynamics, possibly creating a path for enough lawmaker votes to reopen the government. Federal workforce layoffs may worsen, as the White House has threatened. Bipartisan back-channeling among senators could turn up a compromise on the biggest sticking points.
