The ongoing government shutdown is officially the longest in history, surpassing a record also set by Donald Trump in 2018-19 during the president’s first term. The record-breaking impasse, which on Wednesday hit 36 days, shows no signs of ending soon. Trump has rejected calls to meet with what he calls “Radical Left Democrats” to strike a deal and refused to restart food benefit programs for vulnerable Americans until the Democrats reopen the government. “All they have to do is open the country,” Trump told reporters on Sunday. “We have voted 14 times to open the country, and they vote to keep it closed.” Yet, despite his bullish demeanor, polling data from NBC suggests that Americans feel differently—52 percent blame the president and congressional Republicans for the stalemate. Just four percent of Americans blame both parties for the shutdown, which is estimated to be costing the U.S. around $7 billion every day. Trump had two shutdowns during his first term, which lasted two and 34 days respectively.
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