U-S Congress is planning to skip next week's planned recess if the partial government shutdown continues.
And there is every indication the 25-day-old shutdown will drag on, since Democrats remain opposed to President Donald Trump's demand for 5.7-billion dollars to build a border wall.
Trump told supporters in a conference call yesterday that the shutdown will continue ``for a long time'' if need be -- and he claimed people are impressed at how well the government is working.
With national parks shut down and some travellers suffering through long security lines and in some cases partial airport closures, for example, many Americans are having to decide whether to cancel travel and vacation plans.
``It is now plainly evident that the shutdown is affecting air travel, and when that happens, damage to the overall U.S. economy will shortly follow,'' said Jonathan Grella, a spokesman for the U.S. Travel Association, a trade group.
Some companies are pointing to specific problems: Delta said Tuesday that the shutdown is costing it $25 million a month in government travel. Its CEO, Edward Bastian, said that with the Federal Aviation Administration partially closed, Delta will also likely delay the start date of eight new aircraft.