Iran Press/ America: A partial government shutdown caused by an impasse over Donald Trump’s proposed wall on the Mexican border will continue into 2019 after both chambers of Congress adjourned on Thursday without acting to end the closure, The Guardian newspaper reported.
Both houses adjourned without acting to end the closure, as Democrats prepared to assume control of Congress next week.
There had been a narrow chance that the House would convene on Thursday afternoon and vote on a deal to end the shutdown, But no headway was made, and Trump remained insistent that the shutdown would continue until Congress supplies billions for the border wall, which he says will help tackle illegal immigration.
The president accused the Democrats on Thursday morning of 'obstruction' for failing to go along with his wall idea and asserted that Democrats 'know it [the wall] is really needed'. Democrats say a border wall would be an expensive and ineffective solution to a problem that Trump exaggerates.
The shutdown went into effect at midnight on 21 December. The Republican majority in the Senate was unable to rally support for Trump’s wall, after House Republicans passed an 11th-hour wall funding bill on 20 December.
Related news:
US government partially shuts down over border wall row
Negotiations to reopen the government, such as there have been, will shift when Congress reconvenes on 3 January, when a new Democratic majority takes control of the House.
Having failed to procure wall funding when his party controlled both houses of Congress, it was unclear how Trump intended to carry the day with Democrats partially in charge.
Representative Nancy Pelosi, who will assume the role of speaker on 3 January, said in a statement: “We will vote swiftly to reopen government and show that Democrats will govern responsibly in stark contrast to this chaotic White House.”
Trump continued to berate Democrats throughout the day, tweeting: “This isn’t about the Wall … This is only about the Dems not letting Donald Trump & the Republicans have a win.” Trump also revived a 2011 tweet on immigration from Barak Obama, which read: “I strongly believe that we should take on, once and for all, the issue of illegal immigration.” Trump added: “I totally agree!”
Some national parks have been closed, federal employees furloughed and agency operations suspended during the shutdown, which becomes more complicated to unwind and more expensive the longer it lasts.
Federal workers and contractors forced to stay home or work without pay are experiencing mounting stress from the impasse affecting hundreds of thousands of them. For those without a financial cushion, even a few days of lost wages during the shutdown could have dire consequences.
As well, the disruption is starting to pinch citizens who count on a variety of public services, beyond those who’ve been finding gates closed at national parks. For example, the government won’t issue new federal flood insurance policies or renew expiring ones.
103/ 211 / 207
Read More:
Trump threatens to shut down government over border wall
