Washington: A partial US government shutdown that entered its second day on Sunday was set to stretch through Christmas, after Congress adjourned for the weekend with no deal in sight to end an impasse over funding for President Donald Trump’s wall on the US-Mexico border.
Due to the shutdown – in which several key US agencies ceased operations on Saturday – Trump said he would remain in Washington over Christmas instead of going to Florida.
“I am in the White House, working hard,” the Republican president tweeted.
“We are negotiating with the Democrats on desperately needed Border Security (Gangs, Drugs, Human Trafficking & more) but it could be a long stay.”
Trump has dug in on his demand for USD5 billion for construction of the border wall, a signature campaign promise and part of his effort to reduce illegal immigration. Democrats are staunchly opposed, and the absence of a deal meant federal funds for dozens of agencies lapsed at midnight on Friday.
The House of Representatives and the Senate held sessions on Saturday, but both chambers adjourned without agreement, and no votes were expected until Thursday.
Visitors to the capital’s park-like National Mall, home to attractions including war memorials and the towering Washington Monument, criticized the shutdown which added to an air of chaos in a capital still reeling from Defense Secretary Jim Mattis’s resignation last week over Trump policies.
The uncertainty also helped pushed Wall Street into another rout on Friday, ending its worst week in a decade.
Some national parks have shuttered completely, but New York’s governor provided funding to the Statue of Liberty monument and Ellis Island so those attractions could remain open. This is the third partial government shutdown of the year, even though Trump’s own Republican party still controls both the House and Senate.
That will change in January when the House comes under Democratic control.
Most critical US security functions remain operational, but 800,000 federal workers are affected, with many furloughed before Christmas. Others deemed essential, including Transportation Security Administration officers screening passengers during the holiday crush, are working unpaid.
Governor Ralph Northam of Virginia – a state bordering the US capital that is home to many federal employees – urged Trump in a letter Saturday to push immediate action to end the shutdown, saying it “inflicts real harm” on workers.
About three-quarters of the government, including the military and the Department of Health and Human Services, is fully funded until September 2019, leaving 25 per cent unfunded as of Saturday. (AFP)
