Shutdown Day 34: Optimistic talk from Republican leaders

WASHINGTON — The Republican leaders of both the Senate and House were sounding optimistic Monday that a deal to end to U.S. government shutdown could be near, perhaps as soon as this week.

Even so, that won’t keep this federal closure from achieving the milestone of tying the longest one ever on Tuesday, 35 days. And, likely, then overtaking it.

No matter what, the two longest shutdowns in U.S. history will have occurred under President Donald Trump, the other one being 35 days between late 2018 and early 2019.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said Monday that his "gut" tells him that things are moving toward an "exit ramp," perhaps as early as this week, though he declined to give any specifics of what is happening in talks. He did underscore that this was his optimistic view, not necessarily a confident one.

Earlier Monday, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), separately said he hoped Election Day on Tuesday will deliver a "sea change" in the shutdown negotiations.

Johnson suggested that congressional Democrats — led by two New Yorkers, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries — will make the calculation after Tuesday’s balloting that they no longer have to worry about their party voter turnout, and will loosen up in negotiations to reopen government.

On the other side, Jeffries was not offering much support to what the two Republicans were saying.

He said Democrats will continue to demand concessions on health care. Those include demands to renew Obamacare premium subsidies that expire at the end of the year.

"That's been our position week after week after week" Jeffries said. "And it will continue to be our position because the Republican health care crisis is crushing the American people."

The GOP bill has failed in the Senate to get enough Democratic votes to advance 13 times, but is expected to get another vote Tuesday.

On Monday, Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) joined three other House centrists, two of them Republicans, in releasing what they called a "Statement of Principles" to extend the credits for two years.

"Our hope is that this shared Statement of Principles will inspire bipartisan collaboration across Washington and help get Congress back to work for the American people," the group said in a joint statement.

Also on Monday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture told a federal court that it will dip into a contingency fund to send states a partial amount of payments — 50% — of the usual food benefits under the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program for November, but that some states may see delays in that money.