WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th December, 2018) The US government shutdown that began on Saturday will likely continue in the coming days given that no solution appears to be in sight as US President Donald Trump and Senate Democrats continue to feud over funding to construct a wall on the US-Mexico border.
On Friday, the US Senate was not able to secure the 60 votes needed to advance a vote on the House of Representatives-passed spending bill that included the $5.7 billion Trump sought for the border wall.
"The President wanted the shutdown, but he seems not to know how to get himself out of it," US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House of Representatives Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said in a statement on Monday. "As long as the president is guided by the House Freedom Caucus, it's hard to see how he can come with a solution that can pass both the House and Senate and end his shutdown."
Trump countered via Twitter, saying he is waiting for Congressional Democrats to come to the White House to make a deal on border security. The US president added that Democrats may cost the United States more money than the border wall because of a lack of cooperation to make the deal.
Later on Monday, Trump met with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and other department officials to discuss border security, however, no details of the meeting were available.
The Senate will convene on Thursday afternoon to continue consideration of the appropriations bill passed by the House of Representatives. No votes are scheduled at this time.
US FEDERAL AGENCIES IMPACTED BY SHUTDOWN
Agencies across the US federal government have been partially impacted as of Saturday, however, many essential services will continue untouched.
Congress and Trump previously approved funding bills about three quarters of the $1.2 trillion in operating expenses for federal agencies. As a result, only some agencies should be closed.
The Justice Department said in a statement it would not be able to provide regular updates on its website regarding the shutdown. However, it did point out that vital law enforcement and national security functions will continue.
The Treasury Department also said its website will not be regularly updated except for certain areas such as financial sanctions, including the Specially Designated Nationals List. The Treasury Department added that regular services will continue once funding is restored and the shutdown is over.
Essential services such as retirement payments, air traffic control, the US Postal Service and airport security will continue to be funded while every essential agency and department such as the US military - will remain open, according to government officials.
Other agencies, including the Border Patrol, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Coast Guard, will remain open. The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be available to respond to any potential disasters during the shutdown.
Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller's Office will also be able to continue working, CNN said citing a Justice Department official. Meanwhile, the shutdown prompted Trump to cancel plans to spend the holidays at his resort in Florida.
The Smithsonian Institution said its museums, research centers, and the National Zoo will remain open through January 1 amid the shutdown.
Governor of Arizona Doug Ducey last week announced that Grand Canyon would remain open with help from state agencies despite the shutdown. Other US National Parks are expected to remain open with reduced staff numbers.
Food inspection, Medicare, veterans' health care and many other essential government programs will run as usual as well.
Members of Congress will continue to receive their paychecks during the shutdown while other federal employees are furloughed.
The federal government previously closed twice this year with minimal impact. A three-day shutdown in January took place over a weekend and a February closure only lasted for a day. All three shutdowns this year involved disputes over immigration.
More than 800,000 federal employees may be impacted by the shutdown. In recent shutdowns, both furloughed and non-furloughed workers were paid retroactively.
Funding for key government operations expired at 11:59:59 p.m. on Friday (around 5:00 a.m. GMT on Saturday). Earlier in the day, the Senate failed to reach a compromise over a House of Representatives-passed bill and decided to adjourn until Saturday.
The 16-day full government shutdown in October 2013 cost the US economy an estimated $24 billion, according to Standard and Poor's. That breaks down to about $1.5 billion per day. The ratings agency also estimated at the time that it had a significant negative impact on gross domestic product.
