STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
The third partial shutdown of the U.S. government in three months is having less obvious effects than the others.
LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Funding ran out for the Department of Homeland Security, though key employees like airport security remain on the job. Coming up, we'll speak with a former FEMA administrator about the shutdown's impact on operations at the disaster relief agency. First, let's take a closer look at how missed funding deadlines are becoming routine and how that's making it harder for the government to think ahead.
INSKEEP: NPR congressional reporter Sam Gringlas was listening to lawmakers as they didn't work things out over the past several days. Sam, good morning.
SAM GRINGLAS, BYLINE: Hey, Steve.
INSKEEP: Why does this keep happening?
GRINGLAS: Yeah. So this latest effort seems to be following, I guess, a familiar cycle. A crisis captures national attention - in this case, the deadly shootings of two U.S. citizens by immigration agents in Minneapolis or, recently, health subsidies expiring and spiking premiums. A number of Democrats and Republicans suggest that they will respond, like when Republican Senator Bernie Moreno said last month that a bipartisan deal to save the subsidies was in the red zone only for talks to fizzle, leaving both sides pointing fingers.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
BERNIE MORENO: Shouldn't we be here trying to figure out how to solve problems rather than trying to figure out how to score political points for the purposes of the next election?
INSKEEP: Well, is that a fair assessment that Congress can't get anything done?
GRINGLAS: Yeah. Some lawmakers would push back, like Republican Senator Susan Collins. I asked her why bipartisan talks seemed to keep crumbling. And she rejected that idea, pointing to all the spending bills that Congress has agreed to.
SUSAN COLLINS: I don't know how you could possibly describe that as crumbling. That's Congress reasserting its power of the purse.
INSKEEP: OK. That's an interesting argument. Congress has been very, very obedient over the last year, and she's saying, actually, no, now we're pushing back and funding things the way we want to. But why is it difficult for Congress to act on these hot-button issues that get a lot of public interest?
GRINGLAS: I put that question to former Democratic Senator Heidi Heitkamp, and she told me that once the shock of a crisis wears off, lawmakers go back to their corners, and while bipartisan deals have always been delicate, many lawmakers today see less incentive as politics becomes more tribal.
HEIDI HEITKAMP: The base on both sides, their willingness to reward compromise is greatly diminished.
GRINGLAS: And Democratic Senator Tim Kaine says that on some issues, finding consensus is just really hard.
TIM KAINE: On health care, on immigration, the parties are in fundamentally very, very different places.
INSKEEP: OK. So let's circle back to this DHS shutdown, the partial shutdown. Any progress toward an agreement over the weekend?
GRINGLAS: The White House and Democrats have been trading offers, but Democrats have described Republican proposals so far as insufficient, and Republicans are calling Democrats' demands unreasonable, like requiring judicial warrants for some enforcement operations. And judging by how fast lawmakers left D.C. last Thursday for a weeklong recess, the two sides are still far apart.
INSKEEP: Could this shutdown last long enough that we could feel some effects?
GRINGLAS: Members have been told to be ready to come back this week if there's a deal. Meanwhile, immigration enforcement will continue. Congress already gave ICE billions of dollars last year. Disaster response has money to work with for a while, and TSA agents won't miss a paycheck for a few weeks. So most Americans may not notice this shutdown unless it drags on.
INSKEEP: OK. We'll see what happens in days to come. NPR Sam Gringlas. Thanks so much.
GRINGLAS: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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