Republicans warn of pain ahead as US shutdown faces second week

WASHINGTON: Trump administration officials and top Republicans warned on Sunday that Americans will increasingly feel the pain of an ongoing government budget shutdown as a second week begins with most federal operations shuttered.

With Democrats refusing to give in over their demands for continued government health care subsidies in the budget, the White House says plans are being finalised for the firing of thousands of federal workers.

Shutdowns are a periodic feature of gridlocked Washington, when the two parties cannot agree on budget priorities. All non-essential workers are temporarily furloughed, or left without pay, while the parties work out their differences.

This time, the stakes are higher, with Trump threatening to permanently fire not merely furlough, government employees.

The impasse, in its fifth day, showed no signs of ending, with a top Democrat saying there had been no talks between congressional leaders since Monday.

“If the president decides that the negotiations are absolutely going nowhere, then there will start to be layoffs,” Kevin Hassett, who directs the White House´s National Economic Council, told CNN talkshow “State of the Union.”