US President Donald Trump has accused the Democrats of acting like “kamikaze pilots", saying they are willing to destroy the country as the government shutdown officially became the longest in American history on Wednesday.

The current closure, now in its sixth week, has surpassed the 35-day record set during Trump’s first term. The deadlock stems from Congress’s failure to approve a new funding package before the September 30 deadline, leaving several federal departments paralysed and millions of citizens without crucial support.

At a breakfast meeting with Republican senators at the White House, Trump blamed the opposition party for the crisis. “As you know, we are in the midst of a disastrous Democrats-created government shutdown," he said.

VIDEO | On the longest government shutdown

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