Republican Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana warned on Friday that the U.S. government shutdown could drag on for an indefinite period, walking back his earlier prediction that the paralysis would last at least another one to two weeks. 'Forget what I said last night. We're going to be here for a long time,' Kennedy told reporters following the marathon Senate session in Washington. At the same time, Kennedy highlighted that flight cancellations could increase the pressure on both parties to seek a solution to the shutdown. The lawmaker noted that despite this pressure, 'both parties seem to be dug in,' indicating that the stalemate will continue for some time. A conservative, Kennedy added that he doubts the Senate will reach a deal on Saturday, when it will hold an extraordinary session for a possible vote aimed at ending the government shutdown. 'I'm not kidding, this shutdown is going to last a long time,' the senator emphasized, reflecting the uncertainty that persists over the resolution of the partial federal government shutdown. The government shutdown began on October 1st and this weekend will surpass 39 days without bipartisan attempts to find a middle ground yielding any results to unblock the federal administration. On Friday, some 2,000 commercial flights have been canceled across more than 35 airports in the country, as the Department of Transportation ordered a 4% reduction in activity to mitigate the effect of the lack of air traffic controllers, as at least 2,000 of them have gone on leave due to non-compliance with salary. Additionally, the Trump administration is waging an intense battle in the Senate tonight to prevent a court order from Rhode Island from forcing it to fund the food assistance program that benefits more than 42 million low-income Americans.
