A month-long shutdown has obscured policymakers’ vision of the economy, forcing them to rely on patchy data as Trump continues his attacks on the central bank.

Once again, Washington finds itself in a completely avoidable mess. The federal government is shut down, not because Republicans refused to act, but because Democrats chose politics over people. House Republicans did our job.

The federal government shutdown is now entering its fifth week and could soon set an all-time record, with little sign of either side backing down or really even feeling much pressure to do so.

The building strain on lawmakers to end the impasse was magnified by the nation’s largest federal employee union, which called on Congress to pass a funding bill and ensure workers receive full pay.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has seized on the government shutdown as an opportunity to reshape the federal workforce and punish detractors, meeting with budget director Russ Vought on Thursday to talk through “temporary or permanent” spending cuts that could set up a lose-lose dynamic for Democratic lawmakers.

Federal workers are bearing the brunt of the government shutdown, with more than 1 million of them going unpaid while Democrats and Republicans in Congress argue over funding federal agencies for the current fiscal year.

The White House is targeting blue states for funding cuts and using government platforms to pin the shutdown blame on Democrats.

Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy told “Fox & Friends” on Tuesday that “today is the first day” that air traffic controllers “don’t get any

ANAMOSA, Iowa (KCRG) - An Eastern Iowa veteran group says its efforts to help veterans are uncertain amid the current government shutdown.