US House Speaker: Democrats Responsible for Ongoing Government Shutdown
According to the English section of webangah News Agency, citing Al Jazeera via Mehr News Agency, James Michael Johnson, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives (controlled by Republicans),could not hide his frustration Wednesday over the meaningful Republican defeat last night. This came despite numerous attempts to block Zehran Mamdani, New York’s Muslim mayoral candidate.Johnson claimed: “Mamdani’s victory in the New York mayoral race is a victory for socialism.”
The Republican House Speaker added, ”Democrats have held the government hostage at the expense of American lives. Democrats are responsible for this ongoing government shutdown.”
american media reported early Wednesday Tehran time that 34-year-old Zehran Mamdani, a Muslim Democrat candidate, won New York’s mayoral election.
Bloomberg News also reported extensive voter turnout in this election-the highest participation rate in decades for choosing New York’s mayor.
Simultaneously occurring, the U.S. government shutdown entered it’s 36th day-the longest federal shutdown in American history.
Many public services remain suspended; federal employees are on mandatory unpaid leave and disruptions have occurred at airports.
No resolution appears imminent as efforts to end this deadlock stall.
The federal shutdown officially began on October 1st with a halt to large sections of federal operations during President Trump’s second term.
The first phase cut non-essential services including federally funded national parks and museums. Thousands of federal workers classified as non-essential were placed on furlough. Over 587,000 federal employees have been affected by these unpaid leaves so far.
So far, fourteen congressional attempts to resume government operations have failed due to persistent standoffs between Democrats and Republicans determined to maintain their positions.
Republicans accuse Democrats of irresponsibly shutting down the government by rejecting budget measures that could serve as temporary funding through november 21st.
Democrats argue that Republicans - who control both chambers – bear responsibility for compromise but still need at least eight Democratic votes in the senate to pass any budget bill.To date, only three Democratic senators support current proposals while Republican Senator Rand Paul opposes them.
Democrats also warn that Republicans must address sharp premium increases under health insurance programs; according to the Kaiser Foundation,if tax credits are eliminated premiums could rise by an average of 26%. Open enrollment on these plans began early November.
