The shutdown of the U.S. federal government is now the longest in that country's history and there are no signs of an end in sight. Both sides — President Donald Trump and the entire Democratic Party, given personality by Nancy Pelosi, the new speaker of the House of Representative — appear to be digging in and are engaging in acts of political theater to rally their respective bases and win points in the public relations battle.
While the gamesmanship is amusing from a distance, the shutdown is exacting a painful toll on the lives of federal employees and contractors who are losing paychecks. Even more worrisome is the impact on the U.S. economy, which is certain to ripple across the global economy, and whether Trump will feel compelled to respond in other areas as the shutdown erodes his approval ratings and the image of his presidency.
As of Friday, the U.S. federal government has been shut down for 27 days. The key issue is Trump's demand for $5.7 billion for a border wall with Mexico; Democrats have offered $1.3 billion for border security, countering that the president's justifications for the wall are false and the idea itself is "immoral." Meetings to resolve differences have broken up without progress and both sides are digging in. The president says that he is prepared for a long shutdown, while Democrats — and a growing number of Republicans — argue that discussions over security can proceed, but only after the government reopens.