Up to 750,000 federal employees suspended without salary, including soldiers, thousands of places at risk, interruptions of services in health and transport, closure of parks and museums, starting from the iconic Washington Monument on the National Mall. And the private Fed next Friday of the data on employment, crucial to decide on another cut of interest rates. America in chaos for Shutdown, the first after 35 days at the end of 2018 always during the Trump presidency, the longest of the last decades.
The Senate is tried another tour of votes, after the crossed vetoes of Tuesday between Republicans and Democrats to extend the funding to the federal government to 21 November. But the first attempt failed. The parties are stopped in their positions and mutually repress the responsibility of paralysis, already thinking of the Midterm elections next year. “They believed they could overwhelm us without even a minimum of consultation … let’s sit down and try to reach an agreement that protects the American people”, commented the leader Dem to the Senate Chuck Schumer, reaffirming the requests of his party: extending the tax credits for Obamacare, canceling the cuts to Medicaid (health care for the less wealthy) and public media, prevent the use of a ” Rescission »to further reduce foreign aid. The total cost of these provisions is foreseen around $ 1,000 billion, while about 10 million people risk losing health care due to cuts in Medicaid and changes in the Obamacare. Without the extension of tax credits on insurance premiums, the prices of health policies will increase for about 20 million people. “Interest groups of the radical left and democratic members of the radical left wanted a clash with the president, and so the Senate Democrats sacrificed the American people for partisan interests”, replied the leader of the Republicans to the Senate John Thune. His party (false) accuses the opponents of wanting to extend health to irregular migrants.
The dem in theory have easy game in discharged because the Grand Old Party controls the White House, Chamber and Senate, even if it does not have the legal numbers to approve the maneuver. But a survey of the New York Times/Siena found that only 27% of respondents believe that the Democrats should opt for the Shutdown. The voters of the Asinello party, however, are split: 47% are in favor, 43% against, while 59% of the independent are contrary. According to a Marist survey, moreover, 38% of voters would blame Repubblicans but 27% to the Democrats and 31% on both parties. Also among the dem at the congress, doubts grow and some dissidents have voted with the Republicans in fear that the Shutdown gives more power to Trump. The president has in fact evoked “irreversible consequences” and the dismissal of “many” federal employees, while the Budget Office of the White House asked for all the government agencies for mass layoffs of employees linked to programs deemed non -essential. And he has already blocked 18 billion funding for New York (Democratic) infrastructure projects.
This Shutdown marks a break compared to the past precisely for the threat of the explicit use of permanent reduction plans of the workforce. The political and economic impact will depend on its duration. But the uncertainty and institutional conflict increase the distrust of citizens in the government.