House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., Chair of the House Republican Conference, Lisa McClain, R-Mich., House Committee on Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., during a press conference on the 8th day of the government shutdown at the US Capitol, in Washington. (AP Photo)

A president looking to seize power beyond the executive branch. A Congress controlled by Republican lawmakers unwilling to directly defy him. And a minority party looking for any way to fight back.

The dynamic left Washington in a stalemate Thursday — the ninth day of the government shutdown — and lawmakers openly venting their frustration as they tried to gain traction without the trust that is typically the foundation of a

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