‘Happy to work on their failed…’: Trump says he’s open to healthcare funding deal but government must…

The US government shutdown has now entered its sixth day, with President Doland Trump saying he is ready to negotiate with Democrats to end the deadlock. In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “I am happy to work with the Democrats on their failed healthcare policies, or anything else, but first they must allow our government to re-open.” Speaking to reporters earlier, Trump said that talks on healthcare reform with Democrats were already underway. “We are speaking with the Democrats, and some very good things could happen with respect to healthcare,” he added.

The Republicans have accused Democrats of pushing for healthcare subsidies for illegal immigrants, a claim the Democrats have strongly denied, calling it false propaganda from the Trump administration.

Democrats argue that their goal is to restore healthcare funding for American citizens that was cut earlier this year under the “Big Beautiful Bill.”

About US government shutdown

The U.S. government shutdown dragged into its sixth day on Monday, as another Senate vote failed and both Republicans and Democrats continued to blame each other for the crisis.

Although Republicans control both the Senate and the House of Representatives, they still lack eight votes needed to pass the funding bill, which requires 60 votes in the Senate.

The White House also faced confusion over comments made by President Doland Trump about firing federal workers. On Sunday, Trump claimed that the administration had already begun removing employees, but officials later clarified that no such action had started.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday that the Office of Management and Budget was still working with agencies to determine who might be laid off if the shutdown continues.

Last week, Trump called the shutdown an “unprecedented opportunity” in a post on Truth Social.

So far, about 750,000 federal workers have been furloughed, while many others are working without pay. The administration has also frozen USD 26 billion in federal funds for 16 Democratic-leaning states, including USD 18 billion meant for transit projects in New York.

While essential services such as border security, law enforcement, and air-traffic control are still operating, other areas, including food assistance programs, pre-schools, food inspections, and national parks could soon face disruptions.

During the shutdown, military and civilian employees are not being paid, and around 13,000 air traffic controllers are working without pay. The Department of Transportation (DoT) has also paused hiring and training for new air traffic controllers.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned on Monday that a federal program supporting air travel in rural areas could run out of money by the end of the week if the shutdown is not resolved soon.

(With inputs from agencies)