The US government has gone into shutdown after Senate stonewalls spending bill
The US government has begun a shutdown after a midnight deadline on Friday was missed to agree on a new budget.
Last minute meetings could not ease the stalemate, so the bill to fund the government until 16 February did not meet the necessary 60 votes, with Republicans and Democrats split on critical issues.
Just 50 votes were secured in the end, with five Republicans voting against the bill while five Democrats voted for it.
The shutdown is more unusual as the same party – in this case, the Republicans – controls both Congress and the White House.
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Until a deal is agreed upon, rafts of federal agencies across the US will be unable to operate. Essential services will still run.
Ahead of the vote, President Trump said it was “not looking good for our great military or safety and security on the very dangerous southern border”.
He then said the Democrats “could have easily made a deal”.
Democrats are far more concerned with Illegal Immigrants than they are with our great Military or Safety at our dangerous Southern Border. They could have easily made a deal but decided to play Shutdown politics instead. #WeNeedMoreRepublicansIn18 in order to power through mess!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018
This is the One Year Anniversary of my Presidency and the Democrats wanted to give me a nice present. #DemocratShutdown— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 20, 2018
Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer said on Twitter that the moment would be called the Trump shutdown, adding that “there is no one who deserves the blame for the position we find ourselves in more than President Trump”.
This will be called the #TrumpShutdown. There is no one who deserves the blame for the position we find ourselves in more than President Trump. pic.twitter.com/WE3SH9TpRU— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) January 20, 2018
He had previously warned the President to “heed his own words”, quoting Trump saying a shutdown would be “a tremendously negative mark on the President of the United States”.
.@realDonaldTrump should heed his own words:“if there is a shutdown I think it would be a tremendously negative mark on the president of the United States. He’s the one that has to get people together.” #TrumpShutdown pic.twitter.com/pqbGAQf1Tx— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) January 19, 2018
The White House’s press secretary Sarah Sanders meanwhile, said Senate Democrats had “put politics above our national security, military families, vulnerable children, and our country’s ability to serve all Americans”.
She added:
We will not negotiate the status of unlawful immigrants while Democrats hold our lawful citizens hostage over their reckless demands.
This is the behaviour of obstructionist losers, not legislators.
When Democrats start paying our armed forces and first responders we will reopen negotiations on immigration reform.
Sanders also took to Twitter saying the Democrats “can’t shut down the booming Trump economy”.
Democrats can’t shut down the booming Trump economy. Are they now so desperate they’ll shut down the government instead? #SchumerShutdown— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) January 20, 2018
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