STORY: Democratic and Republican leaders pointed fingers at each other amid a funding impasse that will enter its 35th day on Tuesday (November 4), matching a record set during President Donald Trump's first term for the longest in history, with no end in sight to the standoff between Republicans and Democrats in Congress.

Democrats have blocked spending legislation in the Republican-controlled Congress, saying that any funding package must also expand COVID pandemic-era healthcare subsidies due to expire at the end of December. Republicans say that issue should be dealt with separately.

"It is extremism on the left that is the direct cause of American suffering right now," House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Monday (November 3)

The shutdown's toll increases by the day. Food assistance for the nation's poor halted for the first time ever, federal workers from airports to law enforcement and the military are going unpaid and the economy is flying blind with limited government reporting.

The Senate has voted more than a dozen times against a House of Representatives-passed stopgap funding measure, but no lawmakers have changed their position. Trump's Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate but need the votes of at least seven Democrats to meet the chamber's 60-vote threshold for most legislation, and Democrats are holding out to extract an extension of some healthcare insurance subsidies in exchange for their government funding votes.

"This country is far too expensive. Donald Trump and his tariffs are making things worse, not better. And anything that we do, any path that we find to move forward has to decisively address the Republican health care crisis," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies said on Monday.

Recent Reuters/Ipsos polling suggests that Americans blame both parties in Congress for the shutdown, with 50% saying most of the blame goes to Republicans and 43% blaming Democrats.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

VIDEO SHOWS: SOUNDBITES FROM HOUSE SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON AND HOUSE MINORITY LEADER HAKEEM JEFFRIES

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT AND SHOTLIST

SHOWS: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (NOVEMBER 3, 2025) (SENATE TV- Access all)

1. WIDE OF CAPITOL HILL

WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (NOVEMBER 3, 2025) (HOUSE REPUBLICANS - Access all)

2. HOUSE SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON ARRIVING AT MIC

3. (SOUNDBITE) (English) HOUSE SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON SAYING:

"Good morning, everyone. We're on day 34 of the Democrat shutdown. Day 34. It's now officially the second longest shutdown in U.S. history. And we wanted to just have a simple exercise with you this morning to go through just a couple of important facts. There is such a staggering amount of gaslighting and false information that Democrats are engaging in right now. "

4. WHITE FLASH

5. (SOUNDBITE) (English) HOUSE SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON SAYING:

"It is extremism on the left that is the direct cause of American suffering right now.

6. WHITE FLASH

7. (SOUNDBITE) (English) HOUSE SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON, SPEAKING ABOUT THE DEMOCRATS, SAYING:

"We're all angry about this because we're sick of what they're doing. They're using the American people as pawns, as leverage, and that is the word that so many of them have used. We could name senator after senator, House member after House member, from the leadership ranks all the way down to rank and file on the Democrat side; they have admitted openly they're using the American people as leverage in this political game."

WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (NOVEMBER 3, 2025) (UNRESTRICTED POOL - Access all)

8. HOUSE MINORITY LEADER HAKEEM JEFFRIES APPROACHING MIC

9. (SOUNDBITE) (English) HOUSE MINORITY LEADER HAKEEM JEFFRIES SAYING:

"This is Day 34 of the Trump Republican shutdown. And our position as Democrats remains the same.

We will sit down with any Republican who is prepared in good faith to find a bipartisan path forward."

10. WHITE FLASH

11. (SOUNDBITE) (English) HOUSE MINORITY LEADER HAKEEM JEFFRIES SAYING:

"Our position remains clear: reopen the government. Let's stand by our hard-working federal civil servants. Let's find a bipartisan path forward to enacting a spending agreement that actually lowers costs because the cost of living in America is too high. This country is far too expensive. Donald Trump and his tariffs are making things worse, not better. And anything that we do, any path that we find to move forward has to decisively address the Republican health care crisis. Thank you, everyone."

12. JEFFRIES LEAVING

WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (NOVEMBER 3, 2025) (SENATE TV- Access all)

13. WIDE OF CAPITOL HILL