Shutdown enters 38th day as US grapples with unprecedented disruptions to government programs
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The US government shutdown appeared set to stretch into its seventh week, with the Senate expected on Friday to take another vote on a Republican proposal to restart funding, but Democrats showing no signs of budging from their demands for an extension of healthcare subsidies.
The 38-day shutdown began on the first of October and is already the longest in US history and has caused unprecedented disruptions to government programs.
Donald Trump’s White House attempted to pause payments under the government’s food aid program for the first time in history, but has been blocked by a court order. The Federal Aviation Administration also slashed commercial air travel, saying weeks of unpaid work by controllers had undermined capacity. About 800 US-linked flights have been cancelled as of Friday morning, according to the tracking website FlightAware.
