The Capitol is no longer offering tours. The Senate is mired in a series of unsuccessful votes on a plan to reopen the government, while the House continues to keep its doors closed.
President Donald Trump has threatened to fire federal employees in bulk and deny them their back pay.There is no obvious end in sight as the government shutdown enters its second week.
"You have to negotiate," Vermont independent Senator Bernie Sanders urged on the Senate floor late into the night. "That's the way it works."
However, no talks are under progress, at least not in public.
As they resist Democratic requests to swiftly finance health insurance subsidies as part of any proposal to end the shutdown, the Republicans who hold a majority in Congress feel they have the political upper hand.
However, Democrats have also dug in, accusing Trump of causing the shutdown and believing that Americans support them in the struggle to stop the impending increases in healthcare costs.
However, there are indications of dissatisfaction behind the scenes.
A loose group of senators, both Democrats and Republicans, have discussed potential solutions to the health insurance issue. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine is one who has put up her own suggestions.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, both well known Republicans, have stated that action must be taken to halt the increases in health insurance rates.
Additionally, Trump himself indicated that he was amenable to discussions with Democrats regarding their demands to preserve health care subsidies.
The president stated earlier this week that negotiations were already in progress because he wants "great health care" for the populace, but a few hours later, he changed his tone to state that the government must reopen first.
House Speaker Mike Johnson declared, "I spoke to the president at length yesterday about that very thing," in reference to his discussion with Trump on Monday. "And yes, he wants to solve problems."
