Russia joined other UN Security Council members on Tuesday (May 19, 2026) to condemn the drone strike on the UAE’s Barakah nuclear power plant, which Abu Dhabi said originated from Iraq where pro-Iranian proxies are active. The unclaimed drone struck an electrical generator on Sunday (May 17
Vice President J.D. Vance reassured Americans on Tuesday (May 19, 2026) that President Donald Trump's war with Iran will not become a "forever war," using a White House briefing to defend his boss's policies as speculation about his potential successor builds.Vice President J.D
Frequent burning sensation after meals? Harvard gastroenterologist shares foods to avoid and eat for heartburn reliefHeartburn after coffee, spicy food or late-night snacks? Dr Saurabh Sethi shares foods that may worsen acid reflux and what may help soothe it. Published on: May 20
Matchmaker shares the one male insecurity that can outweigh even an IIM degree in biodata: 'If a boy doesn't have…'Hair over Harvard? Matchmaker shares real story of a common male insecurity in arranged marriage market that leads to biodata rejection. Updated on: May 20
Indian man in Europe says people value life after 5 pm over promotions: ‘Nobody glorifies working late’An Indian man said Europe’s biggest work culture shock was seeing people value life after work more than staying busy. Published on: May 20
US: Pressure builds on Congress to end shutdown, but quick breakthrough appears unlikely
Millions of Americans face hardship as the federal government shutdown continues. Food assistance programs are at risk of running out of funds. Federal workers are missing paychecks. Travel plans are disrupted by airport delays. Lawmakers are urged to pass a funding bill to end the shutdown. The impact is growing as the closure enters its fourth week.
The pressure to end the second-longest federal government shutdown is gaining new urgency this week as millions of Americans face the prospect of losing food assistance, more federal workers miss their first full paycheck and recurring delays at airports snarl travel plans.
The building strain on lawmakers to end the impasse was magnified by the nation's largest federal employee union, which called on Congress to immediately pass a funding bill and ensure workers receive full pay.
Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, said the two political parties have made their point.
"It's time to pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown today. No half measures, and no gamesmanship," said Kelley, whose union carries considerable political weight with Democratic lawmakers.
Still, Democratic senators, including those representing states with many federal workers, did not appear ready to back down. Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine said he was insisting on commitments from the White House to prevent the administration from mass firing more workers. Democrats also want Congress to extend subsidies for health plans under the Affordable Care Act.
"We've got to get a deal with Donald Trump," Kaine said.
But shutdowns grow more painful the longer they go. Soon, with closures lasting a fourth full week as of Tuesday, millions of Americans are likely to experience the difficulties firsthand.
Shutdown's impact is set to grow dramatically
The nation's 1.3 million active-duty service members are at risk of missing a paycheck on Friday. Earlier this month, the Trump administration ensured they were paid by shifting USD 8 billion from military research and development funds to make payroll. But it is unclear if the Trump administration will be willing - or able - to shift money again.Larger still, the Trump administration says funding will run out Friday for the food assistance programme that is relied upon by 42 million Americans to supplement their grocery bills. The administration has rejected the use of more than USD 5 billion in contingency funds to keep benefits flowing into November. And it says states won't be reimbursed if they temporarily cover the cost of benefits next month.
The Department of Agriculture says the contingency fund is intended to help respond to emergencies such as natural disasters. Democrats say the decision concerning the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programme, known as SNAP, goes against the department's previous guidance concerning its operations during a shutdown.
"The administration is making an intentional choice not to fund SNAP this weekend," said Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York. "The emergency funding is there. The administration is just choosing not to use it."
Will lawmakers find a solution?
At the Capitol, congressional leaders mostly highlighted the challenges many Americans are facing as a result of the shutdown. But there was no movement toward negotiations as they attempted to lay blame on the other side of the political aisle."Now government workers and every other American affected by this shutdown have become nothing more than pawns in the Democrats' political games," said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.
The House passed a short-term continuing resolution on September 19 to keep federal agencies funded. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has kept the House out of legislative session ever since, saying the solution is for Democrats to simply accept that bill.
But the Senate has consistently fallen short of the 60 votes needed to advance that spending measure. Democrats insist that any bill to fund the government also address health care costs, namely the soaring health insurance premiums that millions of Americans will face next year under plans offered through the Affordable Care Act marketplace.
Window-shopping for health plans delayed
The window for enrolling in ACA health plans begins Saturday. In past years, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has allowed Americans to preview their health coverage options about a week ahead of open enrollment.As of Monday, Healthcare.gov appeared to show 2025 health insurance plans and estimated prices, instead of next year's options. CMS was expected to temporarily bring back all its workers furloughed during the shutdown, in part to manage the ACA open enrollment period.
Twenty-eight senators, mostly Democrats, signed onto a letter urging Trump's administration to let ACA enrollees start previewing next year's health insurance options on its marketplace website.
Republicans insist they will not entertain negotiations on health care until the government reopens.
"I'm particularly worried about premiums going up for working families," said Sen. David McCormick, R-Pa. "So we're going to have that conversation, but we're not going to have it until the government opens."
Congressional leaders dig in deeper
Schumer said Republicans would prefer to shut the government down than work with Democrats in preventing massive spikes in their health insurance costs. He said the average American doesn't want to pay an extra USD 20,000 a year to cover their health insurance."And we Democrats want to solve this crisis right away," Schumer said. "So lowering health care is not a crazy demand."
Vice President JD Vance was planning to visit a Republican luncheon on Capitol Hill Tuesday. But with President Donald Trump on a three-country Asia tour and congressional leaders dug into their positions, a quick deal appeared unlikely.
Meanwhile, some rank-and-file lawmakers urged their colleagues to consider the impact of their standoff on the lives of federal employees and Capitol police officers who are have not been paid for weeks.
"We have got to come together, which means we've got to talk to one another," Sen. Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican, said in a floor speech urging leaders to stop focusing on who was winning the political fight.
"Right now, those that are losing are the American people," she said.
Add as a Reliable and Trusted News Source Add Now!
Source: EconomicTimes
Related Posts: AI-driven digitisation errors causing widespread hardship during SIR Millions of Americans brace for healthcare insurance costs to spike Trump likely to fire ‘thousands’ of federal workers amid government shutdown Trump to meet Monday with top four congressional leaders as federal government shutdown risk looms Five ways the shutdown is hurting Americans Millions of Afghans face hunger as aid cuts deepen humanitarian crisis Millions of US migrants could now face mandatory detention after Immigration appeals court big ruling Millions of Afghans face hunger as aid cuts deepen humanitarian crisis Millions of Afghans face hunger as aid cuts deepen humanitarian crisis Trump's vast federal cuts create distrust on Capitol Hill as shutdown risk grows
stuck to their holdings in companies with strong fundamentals in April, particularly technology and , according to a report on Wednesday from data platform Hazeltree, in a month when the S&P 500 jumped over 10%.Here are the details about hedge fund positioning in April:Among mega-cap
1 days ago
Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan has defended using his caste surname Menon during his swearing-in. He stated he was only mentioning his father's name. This move sparked debate on social media and among Congress leaders. Some see it as a political message to the Hindu community
1 days ago
Madison Square Garden may have been left as scorched earth by the end of the night. But honestly? New York Knicks fans could not have been happier. Because the ‘Brunson Burner’ was turned all the way up. NEW YORK WENT ON A 44-11 RUN TO COMPLETE A 22-POINT COMEBACK WIN IN GAME 1 💨DOWN 22 WITH
1 days ago
Rahul Gandhi asserts the Constitution faces an attack. He emphasizes its importance as a reflection of Ambedkar and Gandhi's ideals. Gandhi warns of rising inflation and criticizes the Prime Minister's actions. He calls for collective defense of equality and justice
1 days ago
Pune techie says manager ‘fought’ to protect him from extra work during notice period: ‘God I am lucky’A Pune man praised his manager for protecting him from extra work during his notice period. Published on: May 20, 2026 2:28 PM IST By Mahipal Singh Chouhan Share via Copy link A Pune
1 days ago
Israeli air strikes have killed at least 19 people in southern Lebanon, the country's health ministry has said. Ten of them, including three children and three women, were killed in a single attack that hit a house in the town of Deir Qanoun, the ministry said
1 days ago
The AI ecosystem is entering a new phase where specialised utility is becoming as important as scale. Emerging platforms like Claude, Perplexity, Grok, and Copilot are driving this shift by delivering workflow-specific intelligence for businesses, researchers, and everyday users
1 days ago
Rhea Chakraborty announces social media break: 'I'm taking a step back for a while'She also plans to take a break from social media, seeking to reconnect with her true self amid overwhelming online pressures. May 20, 2026, 14:25:05 IST By Monica Yadav Share via Copy link Actor Rhea Chakraborty has
1 days ago
Indian equity benchmarks recovered sharply from early losses on May 20, with frontline indices nearly erasing the morning decline by 11:30 am, aided by buying in heavyweight Reliance Industries, auto stocks and select financial names. However
1 days ago
15 years of Pyaar Ka Punchnama: Kartik Aaryan, Nushrratt Bharuccha, Divyenndu and other leading stars' career graphAs Kartik Aaryan's debut Pyaar Ka Punchnama completes 15 years today, we take a look at how the six leading actors from the 2011 film have fared since then Updated on: May 20
1 days ago
Dowry, domestic violence, and the unsafe reality for Indian womenThis article is authored by Ranjana Kumari, director, Centre for Social Research and author of Brides are not for Burning. Published on: May 20, 2026 11:03 AM IST By Ranjana Kumari Share via Copy link Dowry in India is no longer
1 days ago
An unexpected AI development stole the spotlight from Google I/O. Here’s whatAndrej Karpathy's announcement of joining Anthropic garnered 17 million views on X, surpassing Google I/O's livestream views of 8.5 million Published on: May 20, 2026 11:02 AM IST By Sanya Jain Share via Copy link
1 days ago
‘Completely false, fabricated’: TMC responds to ‘leaked’ municipal notice to MP Abhishek BanerjeeThe TMC statement urged journalists to visit the addresses mentioned or call the numbers cited in the notice to verify the facts. Updated on: May 20
1 days ago
Cockroach Janata Party vs National Parasitic Front: The new political battle brewing in IndiaFounded by Abhijeet Dipke, the Cockroach Janata Party has rapidly exploded across X and Instagram.drawing followers by the thousands. Updated on: May 20
1 days ago
China has confirmed that it will buy 200 Boeing jets after US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping met in Beijing last week. Under the deal, the US will provide China with supply guarantees for aircraft engine parts and components
1 days ago
Editorial independence is core to our work. Some links may earn us a commission, without influencing our opinions.This mistake almost cost me my GST refund at Changi Airport; Buy these Charles & Keith handbags in India insteadA simple mistake at Changi Airport nearly cost us our GST refund after a
1 days ago
Meta Layoffs: Meta is preparing to lay off nearly 8,000 employees this week in one of its largest workforce cuts yet, as CEO Mark Zuckerberg accelerates a massive restructuring of the company around artificial intelligence. According to a leaked internal memo from Meta HR chief Janelle Gale
1 days ago
The United States and Cuba held talks this week on a U.S. offer of $100 million in assistance, which Washington has dangled as an incentive for reforms, a U.S. official said on Tuesday (May 19, 2026). Mike Hammer, the acting U.S. ambassador to Havana, met on Monday (May 18
1 days ago
As temperatures continue to soar during Indian summers, dehydration is becoming increasingly common, pushing many people towards packaged hydrating drinks and sports beverages. However, plain water alone is not always enough to keep the body properly hydrated. Essential minerals like sodium
1 days ago
The legendary GTI badge goes electric for the first time. The Volkswagen ID Polo GTI Electric was originally previewed as the ID. 2all concept in 2023. It has a 0 to 100km/h sprint time of 6.8 seconds. Volkswagen has unveiled an electric version of its famous ID. Polo hatchback. While the new
1 days ago
Mouni Roy brings India to Cannes with chic patola print gown, dazzles the night in midnight blue dressAt Cannes, Mouni Roy donned two striking looks, including a chic midnight-blue gown and a stunning patola-embroidered dress. Published on: May 20
1 days ago
' union plans for 48,000 workers to walk off the job on Thursday after efforts to clinch a deal on bonus payments fell through, threatening the health of South Korea's economy and the global supply of semiconductors.Union leader said that the 18-day strike would go ahead as management had not
1 days ago
Gurugram-based lending company Oxyzo Financial Services is looking to acquire Rainmatter-backed GoldenPi Technologies, an online bond distribution platform, the company said in a note on May 19.Oxyzo is the financial arm of B2B ecommerce unicorn startup OfBusiness.Through the acquisition, Oxyzo
1 days ago
Bengaluru techie explains why life in Germany felt calmer than India: ‘Never opened laptop after work’A Bengaluru techie said life in Germany felt quieter and more balanced than his daily routine in Bengaluru. Published on: May 20, 2026 10:05 AM IST By Mahipal Singh Chouhan Share via Copy link
1 days ago
One of the most expensive Korean films ever made, this epic sci-fi begins as a "breathless rollercoaster ride" and mashes up The Terminator, Predator, Aliens and Avatar. The films that compete for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival are known for their depth
1 days ago
Cornell professor talks AI chaos, and dismissing AI writersThe biggest AI developments, decoded. 20 May 2026. Published on: May 20, 2026 8:00 AM IST By Vishal Mathur Share via Copy link Cognitive warmup. Actor, comedian and filmmaker Seth Rogen has some choice words for creatives using AI to
1 days ago
Qatar said on Tuesday (May 19, 2026) that U.S.-Iran negotiations, mediated by Pakistan, required more time to reach a deal, a day after President Donald Trump said he had postponed planned attacks to give the process a chance. "We are supportive of the diplomatic effort by Pakistan that has shown
1 days ago
