After 36 days of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) historic federal government shutdown, Democrats are quietly scrambling to find a way out.
It comes as divisions within the Democrat ranks and a growing backlash from unpaid workers are complicating any move to end the standoff.
The shutdown, which entered record-breaking territory Tuesday night, has now surpassed the 2019 mark to become the longest in U.S. history.
Despite public frustration and mounting economic fallout, Democrats have continued to block Republican efforts to reopen the government.
Inside the Senate, Democratic Party leaders huddled behind closed doors for nearly three hours.
During the meeting, Democrats were debating possible off-ramps, including a vote on Obamacare subsidies and attaching spending bills to an extended continuing resolution (CR) that could run into December or January.