Democrats hold firm amid president's threats as shutdown drags on

Entering the third week of a government shutdown, Democrats say they are not intimidated or cowed by President Trump's efforts to fire thousands of federal workers or by his threats of more firings to come.

- BY MARY CLARE JALONICK AND STEPHEN GROVES

Instead, Democrats appear emboldened, showing no signs of caving as they returned to Washington from their home states this week and twice more rejected a Republican bill to open the government. The vote Wednesday was the ninth time the GOP plan has failed.

“What people are saying is, you've got to stop the carnage,” said Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, describing what he heard from his constituents, including federal workers, as he traveled around his state over the weekend. “And you don’t stop it by giving in.”

Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz said the firings are “a fair amount of bluster” and predicted said they ultimately will be overturned in court or otherwise reversed. That was already happening Wednesday, when a federal judge in California temporarily ordered the administration to stop the firings.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said Wednesday that the layoffs are a “mistaken attempt” to sway Democratic votes. His House counterpart, Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, said the administration's “intimidation tactics are not working. And will continue to fail.”

Democratic senators say they are hearing instead from voters about health insurance subsidies that expire at the end of the year, the issue that their party has made central to the shutdown fight.

Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware said that the effect of the expiring health insurance subsidies on millions of people, along with cuts to Medicaid enacted by Republicans this year, “far outweighs” any of the firings of federal workers that the administration is threatening.