Washington [US], October 8: Two parallel bills aimed at reopening the US government failed for the fifth time in the Senate, while tensions continued at the White House and some states.
As of yesterday (October 7, Vietnam time), there was still no sign that the two parties would overcome their differences to sit at the negotiating table to find a way to solve the problem and reopen the government.
Trump's contradictory moves
After a week of the US government shutdown, President Trump yesterday mentioned for the first time the possibility of negotiating with Democrats on health policy so that the government can reopen, according to AFP. Senator Chuck Schumer, the Minority Leader in the Senate, quickly denied that the two sides were in dialogue, Reuters reported.
However, Mr. Schumer expressed his willingness to negotiate with President Trump if the Obamacare program - which provides health insurance subsidies for low-income families - is renewed once it expires at the end of this year. However, a few hours later, President Trump changed his mind, forcing the Democrats to make concessions before he was ready to sit down at the negotiating table. "In fact, they should open the government tonight (October 6, Washington DC time)," Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Meanwhile, the Senate voted for the fifth time and continued to reject two bills that were being implemented in parallel by the Republicans and Democrats. Following the above results, House Speaker Mike Johnson canceled the plan to convene the House of Representatives this week because "there is nothing to negotiate", and said that the House of Representatives "has completed its part". Meanwhile, Mr. Schumer affirmed that the shutdown situation can only be resolved when the US President sits down at the negotiating table with congressional leaders.
As the budget has not been renewed by Congress, many non-essential US government services are being suspended. From October 10, hundreds of thousands of public sector employees will not receive their salaries on time. As for the military, the risk of delayed salaries begins October 15.
The departments hardest hit by the shutdown are the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Department of Education, the Department of Commerce and the Department of Labor. In this context, the White House warned of the possibility of mass layoffs if the US President concluded that negotiations had not made progress.
Trump considers the Insurrection Act
Also yesterday, President Trump said he could consider invoking the Insurrection Act "if necessary," especially if courts or state and city officials seek to delay his deployment of the National Guard to localities to maintain order, according to Newsmax .
The Insurrection Act of 1807 allows the President to deploy the military for civilian law enforcement missions in specific circumstances. The law was last invoked to suppress riots in Los Angeles, California, in 1992.
On the same day, the leaders of Illinois and Chicago filed a lawsuit to stop the President from sending the National Guard to Chicago, the third largest city in the US, according to CBS News. The lawsuit was filed hours after a judge ruled to block the deployment of the National Guard to Portland, Oregon.
In court, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker accused President Trump's actions in Chicago and Illinois as "dangerous and illegal", serving Trump's plot to militarize American cities. Mr. Pritzker also said that 400 Texas National Guard troops are on their way to Illinois and could be in position on October 7 or 8 (local time). About 300 members of the Illinois National Guard were also summoned by order of the federal government.
However, the judge refused to rule immediately, citing lack of information, instead announcing the next hearing on October 9.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper