The US government is scheduled to reopen on Thursday (November 13) after the longest shutdown in US history that disrupted air traffic, cut food aid to low-income Americans, and forced more than 1 million workers without pay for more than a month.

However, the deep political divisions that led to the 43-day shutdown remain unresolved. The funding package contains few restrictions to restrain Republican President Donald Trump from withholding spending, in an administration that regularly challenges Congress's constitutional authority on finances. And it does not address the impending expiration of healthcare subsidies that led Senate Democrats to initiate the shutdown.

The shutdown has also exposed a divide within the Democratic Party between its liberal base, which has demanded its leaders do whatever it takes to rein in Trump, and moderates who feel their options are limited as long as Republicans hold majorities in both chambers of Congress. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer is facing calls to resign, even though he opposed the deal.

Federal employees, who have toiled without pay during the government shutdown, will begin receiving their back paychecks on Saturday, with all payments scheduled to be completed by Wednesday, the White House said. Agencies that laid off employees during the shutdown must cancel the layoffs within five days, the federal labor office said.

Americans Blame Republicans and Democrats Almost Equally

Neither party appears to have emerged as a clear winner. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released Wednesday found that 50% of Americans blame Republicans for the government shutdown, while 47% blame Democrats.

The return to normalcy may be temporary, as the deal only funds the government through January 30, raising the possibility of another shutdown early next year. The shutdown puts Democrats in an unusual position, as Republicans have more often forced funding cuts over the past few decades.

The shutdown is also notable for what is largely absent: debate over the $38 trillion national debt, which Congress has currently allowed to grow by about $1.8 trillion per year.

Senate Democrats say the current economic hardship, including disruptions in federal benefits and missed wages for federal employees, is worth the effort to highlight the impending surge in health insurance costs for some 24 million Americans.

"The fight for American health care is a fight worth fighting, and I'm proud that Democrats have been united throughout this fight," Representative Hank Johnson of Georgia told Reuters. "The American people are more aware of the high stakes in the fight we face... They understand the gravity of this situation, and that's why they want us to fight."

Democrats have received no guarantees regarding health subsidies, only a promise that the Republican-controlled Senate will hold a vote on the issue, with no guarantee that the measure will pass or that the House will vote on it.

However, they argue that they have succeeded in raising the issue at a time when polls show Americans are concerned about the rising cost of living, and Republicans could face political backlash if they don't act to prevent the surge in insurance costs. The subsidies disproportionately benefit residents of Republican-controlled states.

Meanwhile, Republicans found themselves making the argument Democrats often make during the government shutdown: that the damage from the disruption was not worth it.

"We should be legally prohibited from shutting down the government," Representative Brian Fitzpatrick, a moderate Republican, told Reuters. "It's absolutely insane, insane that we're now using a government shutdown as a bargaining chip for policy. That's never going to happen, and it's clearly a terrible precedent." (alg)

Source: Reuters