Shutdown stretches into 28th day as Senate again fails to pass spending legislation

The Senate majority leader, John Thune, said he would negotiate with Democrats, but not with ‘a gun to our heads’. Photograph: Bonnie Cash/UPI/Shutterstock

The US government shutdown stretched into its 28th day with no resolution in sight on Tuesday, as the Senate remained deadlocked over spending legislation even as a crucial food aid program teeters on the brink of exhausting its funding.

For the 13th time, Senate Democrats blocked a Republican-backed bill that would have funded federal agencies through 21 November. The minority party has refused to provide the necessary support for the bill to clear the 60-vote threshold for advancement in the Senate because it does not include funding for healthcare programs, or curbs on Donald Trump’s cuts to congressionally approved funding.