Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has broken with Donald Trump on the issue at the centre of the government shutdown.

The US government shut down on Oct 1 after the Democrats and Republicans were unable to break the deadlock to pass a spending bill.

Democrats have demanded that tax credits introduced in 2021 to make health insurance more affordable for millions of Americans be extended, arguing that their expiration would double what low-and middle-income people who purchase health insurance through the Affordable Care Act pay on their premiums next year.

The Maga firebrand said she was “absolutely disgusted” that health insurance premiums could double when the tax credits expire at the end of the year, and that she refused to play “loyalty games”.

In a lengthy post on X, she wrote: “I’m going to go against everyone on this issue because when the tax credits expire this year my own adult children’s insurance premiums for 2026 are going to DOUBLE, along with all the wonderful families and hard-working people in my district.”

‘I’m America only’

Republicans have said these negotiations can take place after a spending bill is passed and have repeatedly claimed that Democrats are trying to expand government subsidised healthcare, also known as Obamacare, to illegal migrants.

Ms Greene made clear she is opposed to extending health care to those without legal status.

“No, I’m not towing the party line on this, or playing loyalty games. I’m a Republican and won’t vote for illegals to have any tax payer-funded healthcare or benefits,” she wrote. “I’m AMERICA ONLY!!!”

She added: “And I’m absolutely disgusted that health insurance premiums will DOUBLE if the tax credits expire this year.”

As the shutdown enters its eighth day on Wednesday, flights have been delayed across the country owing to major airports facing staffing shortages.

Air traffic controllers are considered essential workers, so are required to work without pay during a government shutdown.

On Monday night, 12 federal aviation administration facilities saw personnel shortages, with control towers in Burbank, Phoenix and Denver announcing so-called staffing triggers, according to CNN.

Other airports dealing with understaffing include Newark, New Jersey, Jacksonville, Florida, Chicago, Washington, DC and Indianapolis.

Last time the government shut down in 2019, widespread flight delays caused by controllers calling in sick at high rates brought a swift end to the standoff.

The delays came hours after Sean Duffy, the transport secretary, warned that a federal programme that subsides rural flights would run out of funding by Sunday, further threatening service.

On Tuesday, Mr Trump dubbed the flight backlog “Democrat delays” and accused the opposition of pursuing a “kamikaze” policy by pushing for a government shutdown.

“They’re the ones that started it....and it’s almost like a kamikaze attack by them,” he told reporters inside the Oval Office. “They have nothing to lose.”

White House ‘trying to block compensation for furloughed staff’

The White House is allegedly seeking to block as many as 750,000 furloughed federal workers from claiming compensation following the government shutdown.

Under the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019, furloughed government employees have previously been entitled to backpay once a shutdown comes to a close.

However, the Trump administration is allegedly looking at ways to circumvent this, according to Axios.

“Does this law cover all these furloughed employees automatically? The conventional wisdom is: Yes, it does. Our view is: No, it doesn’t,” a senior White House official told the news outlet.

If the White House pursues the policy, it would dramatically ramp up pressure on the Democrats to bring the week-long shutdown to an end.

Democrats have so far weathered threats from Russ Vought, the White House budget director, to use the shutdown to implement mass lay-offs.

Mr Trump echoed these threats on Monday, warning that if the shutdown continues, “it could, at some point it will” trigger lay-offs.

After another vote in the Senate on Monday night failed to advance a stopgap spending bill, Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, said that if there are lay-offs “it falls on Donald Trump’s shoulders”.

“He’s doing it, not Democrats,” Mr Schumer said. “And the American people know that.”