The budget standoff keeps grinding, and tempers keep rising.

Republicans say the holdup gives them leverage to change spending for good.

Democrats tied their support to an extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies.

Those subsidies are slated to end in 2025 without new action.

Federal workers across agencies have pay on hold as the impasse continues.

The White House says it can freeze or suspend some programs during a shutdown.

Officials argue that long-targeted items could face permanent cuts under that approach.

Democrats warn millions could face higher premiums without action before open enrollment.

They also insist the fight is about stability for families, not politics.

Republicans counter that Democrats larded the package with new left-wing priorities.

Leaders say Medicaid money aimed at illegal immigrants is part of the ask.

Donald Trump pushed that point and turned up the heat on Sunday.

“The Democrats are kamikazes right now. They’re kamikaze pilots right now. They have nothing going. They have no future,” Donald Trump said.

“They didn’t realize that that gives me the right to cut programs that Republicans never wanted — you know, giveaways, welfare programs,” Donald Trump said. “And we’re doing that. We’re cutting them permanently.”

Donald Trump: “jeopardize” Americans’ healthcare.

Trump’s team frames the shutdown as a chance to trim billions long opposed by conservatives.

They say voters backed a reset on spending and security.

Democrats say this is reckless brinkmanship that punishes workers and families.

Both sides are dug in and counting votes for their own plan.

No side shows signs of blinking as the standoff enters another week.

Trump also jumped into New York City politics amid the budget storm.

He warned the city could soon elect a “communist mayor,” referring to Zohran Mamdani.

“I watched him [Mamdani] a couple of times be interviewed, and he’s pretty slick, but he doesn’t have what it takes,” Donald Trump said.

Donald Trump warned New York would be in “big trouble” if Zohran Mamdani wins.

Mamdani, a Queens assemblyman who calls himself a democratic socialist, is favored in a three-way race.

He faces former Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa on the ballot.

Young voters helped Mamdani surge to the nomination with heavy grassroots support.

Mamdani has clashed with Trump on policing and business.

He once called the NYPD “racist, anti-queer & a major threat to public safety.”

He recently apologized to the NYPD on television and said he will work with anyone to make the city affordable.

Back in Washington, leaders trade blame while agencies juggle limited funds.

House and Senate Democrats say they want a clean plan that protects coverage.

Republicans argue any final deal must root out waste and giveaways.

For now, the pressure rises on both sides.

Workers wait. Markets watch. Campaigns sharpen their messages.

And Trump signals he is ready to make lasting changes if the fight continues.

The next move will show who actually holds the leverage.

A single compromise could end this quickly.

Or the standoff could stretch, and the cuts could stick.

The country will feel whichever choice comes first.