US government reopens after longest shutdown; political crisis persists.

US government reopens after longest shutdown; political crisis persists.

The U.S. government reopened on Thursday after the longest shutdown in U.S. history, disrupting everything from air traffic to food aid to low-income workers and unpaid wages.

But the deep political divisions that led to the 43-day shutdown remain unresolved. On the one hand, Democrats in the budget package do little to stop Donald Trump from spending on the Kurds, a president who has repeatedly challenged Congress’s authority over the budget. It also does not address the soon-to-expire health care subsidies that led to the shutdown by Senate Democrats.

The shutdown has exposed divisions within the Democratic Party, according to Reuters. On the one hand, liberals have urged their leaders to stop at nothing to contain Trump, and on the other, moderates feel they have little choice as long as Republicans control both houses of Congress. Meanwhile, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer is facing calls to resign despite voting against a deal to reopen the government.

On the other hand, given the short-term nature of the agreement to end the government shutdown by January 30, another shutdown is still likely early next year.

Reuters continues by noting that Americans almost equally blame Republicans and Democrats for the shutdown, saying: Neither party seems to be the clear winner in this partisan battle.

The results of a joint poll by Ipsos and this news agency, released on Wednesday, show that 50 percent of Americans blame Republicans and 47 percent blame Democrats.