Longest federal shutdown ever moves into its sixth week, with hopeful talk from Republicans but no deal

WASHINGTON — Reaching 36 days on Wednesday, the U.S. government shutdown is now the longest ever, with no clear end in sight.

As it drags on, the stalemate is taking on added layers of complexity, even as thousands of Long Islanders and millions of Americans face hardships tied to the federal closure.

President Donald Trump has invited all Republican senators to the White House on Wednesday, and there are hopes that the man who wrote "The Art of the Deal" is about to get more involved in forging a resolution.

But White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday provided little signal that Trump plans to do that, emphasizing that he is instead serious in calls to abolish the chamber’s 60-vote filibuster rule — as a way to impose a solution without help from Democrats.

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