The partial shutdown, now on the verge of entering its third week, is likely to continue, as neither side has an incentive to take the steps necessary to end it, US pundits fear.
Commenting on the quagmire, CNN contributor Stephen Collinson pointed out that "right now, all the political forces that could bring the two sides together are flowing in opposite directions, as the political significance of the moment suddenly raises the stakes in their showdown over funding for Trump's border wall."
On the eve of Thursday's opening of the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives for a new session, Trump and Democratic leaders walked away from a meeting with no indication that an agreement was in sight.
The president said he was "ready and willing to work with Democrats" on the issue, but only "to pass a bill that secures our borders, supports the agents and officers on the ground, and Keeps America Safe." Incoming House Democrats, meanwhile, said they would push their own legislation to reopen the federal government until February 8 while debate continued, saying the success of the bill would depend on support from the Republican-controlled Senate.
Most analysts don't believe the latter is likely, however, with Collinson pointing out that Senate Republicans have already "made clear they won't act on anything until a deal is reached that Trump will actually sign."
As for presumptive Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, she has "zero desire to acquiesce to the President during her first hours with a gavel in hand," Collinson noted. Accordingly, "barring a miracle, the partial shutdown is not ending any time soon," he wrote.
Trump is facing his own pressures from everyone from conservative pundits to Congressional lawmakers, and is thus also "in no position to blink," the pundit noted. The president allegedly told Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer at a recent meeting that he would "look foolish" if he caved to the Democrats now, according to the New York Times.
In the meantime, Americans on social media have voiced growing frustration with the shutdown and the impact it has had on public services, dividing along partisan lines to blame either Trump or the Democrats and pointing out the disproportionate impact the debacle has had on the poor.