And so this is Christmas: US govt shuts up shop
Print Edition
The US federal government is expected to remain partially closed past Christmas Day in a protracted standoff over President Donald Trump鈥檚 demand for money to build a border wall with Mexico.
On the second day of the federal closure, Trump tweeted yesterday that what the country needs is 鈥渁 good old fashioned WALL that works,鈥 as opposed to aerial drones and other measures that 鈥渁re wonderful and lots of fun鈥 not the right answer to address the problem of 鈥渄rugs, gangs, human trafficking, criminal elements and much else from coming into鈥 the United States.
With Trump鈥檚 insistence on US$5 billion for the wall and negotiations with Democrats in Congress far from a breakthrough, even a temporary measure to keep the government running while talks continued seems out of reach until the Senate returns for a full session Thursday.
From coast to coast, the first day of the shutdown played out in uneven ways. The Statue of Liberty was still open for tours, thanks to money from New York state, and the US Post Office was still delivering mail, as an independent agency.
Yet the disruption has affected many government operations and the routines of 800,000 federal employees. Roughly 420,000 workers were deemed essential and were expected to work unpaid. An additional 380,000 were to be furloughed, meaning they will stay home without pay. The Senate had already passed legislation ensuring that workers will receive back pay, and the House was likely to follow suit.
No one knew how long the closures would last. Unlike other shutdowns, this one seemed to lack urgency, coming during the long holiday weekend after Trump had already declared today, Christmas Eve, a federal holiday.
Rather than work around the clock to try to end the shutdown, as they had done in the past, the leaders of the House and the Senate effectively closed up shop.
But they didn鈥檛 rule out action if a deal were struck.
鈥淟isten, anything can happen,鈥 Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters after he closed the Senate鈥檚 rare Saturday session hours after it opened.
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