Trump says election puts shutdown pressure on Republicans but wants to end filibuster

"Democrats won in races up and down the ballot and across the country with a message focused on affordability and opposing Trump administration policies including the yearlong push to fire federal workers, slash spending and punish people who oppose the president. Congressional leaders have so far failed to negotiate or move with urgency to end the shutdown, even as millions of Americans face the loss of federal food aid and rising federal health insurance premiums, and many government employees work without pay."

"One of the biggest rebukes of Trump administration policies came in Virginia, home to around 320,000 federal workers and hundreds of thousands of federal contractors. Democrat Abigail Spanberger won the governor's race there by 15 points with a message that argued Trump's push to fire federal workers and slash federal spending and later, the ongoing government shutdown harmed the state's economy."

""I think if you read the pollsters, the shutdown was a big factor, negative for the Republicans," Trump said at a breakfast with Republican senators Wednesday. "And they say that I wasn't on the ballot was the biggest factor, but I don't know about that.""

The prolonged government shutdown was a major factor behind Republican losses in recent off-year elections. Democrats won races across the country by focusing on affordability and opposition to administration policies such as efforts to fire federal workers and cut federal spending. Congressional leaders have not moved urgently to end the shutdown while millions face loss of federal food aid, rising federal health insurance premiums, and many federal employees work without pay. The president has framed the appropriations lapse as caused by Democrats and solvable only by them, but election results have increased pressure for a faster resolution and possible cooperation.

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