🔗 Share this article Congress Remains Gridlocked on Government Closure Prior to Key Vote Getty Images Democratic and Republican leaders are still divided on addressing the partial shutdown as another day of voting nears on Monday. In individual Sunday discussions, the Democratic leader and House speaker each blamed the other's party for the persistent gridlock, which will enter its fifth consecutive day on Monday. Health Insurance Proves to be Key Dividing Issue The main disagreement has been healthcare. Democrats want to guarantee coverage support for economically disadvantaged Americans do not expire and aim to reverse decreases for the Medicaid program. A bill to fund the government has cleared the lower chamber, but has consistently stalled in the Senate. Charges and Recriminations Intensify The House minority leader claimed GOP members were "being dishonest" about their negotiating position "due to their declining position in the court of public opinion". However, the GOP leader said liberal lawmakers remain "not serious" and negotiating in bad faith - "they're doing this to get political cover". Government Timeline and Parliamentary Hurdles The Legislative body will likely reconvene Monday afternoon and revisit a multiple stopgap bills to support the government. Simultaneously, The minority caucus will meet Monday to address the impasse. The GOP leader has prolonged a House recess until next week, meaning representatives will not be in session to address a funding bill if the senators propose amendments and find compromise. Legislative Math and Political Calculations GOP maintains a slim advantage of 53 votes in the century-member chamber, but any funding measure will demand 60 votes to be approved. In his television discussion, the conservative leader contended that Democrats' refusal to pass a stopgap appropriation that continued present spending was needless. The medical coverage subsidies at issue don't expire until the end of the year, he said, and a liberal measure would incorporate substantial increased appropriations in a seven-week stopgap measure. "We have plenty of time to resolve that issue," he said. Immigration Allegations and Healthcare Debate He also stated that the subsidies would not help address what he says are significant issues with insurance regulations, including "unauthorized migrants and able-bodied young men without dependents" utilizing Medicaid. Certain conservative lawmakers, including the second-in-command, have portrayed the Democrats' position as "seeking to offer medical coverage to illegal aliens". The opposition has refuted those assertions and unauthorized migrants are ineligible for the initiatives the opposition is backing. Democratic Perspective and Medical Worries The opposition spokesman told Sunday news programs that the opposition believes the effects of the expiring credits are dire. "We are standing up for the healthcare of working Americans," he said. "If Republicans continue to refuse to renew the Affordable Care Act tax credit, many millions of US citizens are going to experience substantially raised premiums, copays, and deductibles." Public Opinion Reveals Widespread Criticism Latest research has determined that the public regards the approaches of all legislators of the government closure critically, with the Chief Executive also netting a negative reception. The poll found that eighty percent of the approximately 2,500 US citizens surveyed are significantly or slightly anxious about the shutdown's effect on the financial markets. Only less than one-quarter of those polled said the Republican position was worth a shutdown, while twenty-eight percent said the same of Democrats' argument. The survey found the public faults the President and Republicans in Congress most for the situation, at thirty-nine percent, but liberal lawmakers followed shortly after at three-tenths. About thirty-one percent of US citizens surveyed said both sides were to blame. Mounting Consequences and Administrative Statements At the same time, the consequences of the shutdown are commencing to increase as the shutdown drags into its second week. On Saturday, The National Gallery of Art announced it had to close its doors due to budget shortfalls. The Chief Executive has consistently warned to use the funding lapse to carry out extensive job cuts across the federal government and eliminate agencies and services that he says are important to Democrats. The particulars of those potential cuts have remained undisclosed. The administration leader has argued it is a possibility "to clear out dead wood, waste, and fraud. Billions of Dollars can be conserved". When inquired concerning the warnings in the Sunday interview, the House speaker said that he had lacked specific information, but "this represents an unfortunate circumstance that the chief executive opposes". "I want the Democratic leader to take correct action that he's exhibited across his 30-plus year career in Capitol Hill and approve maintaining the national functions active," the House speaker said, adding that as long as the impasse continues, the administration has "must consider difficult choices".