Congress members trickled back into Washington Thursday with little sign of ending a government shutdown sparked by President Donald Trump’s insistence on funding for a US-Mexico border wall.
Congress members trickled back into Washington Thursday with little sign of ending a government shutdown sparked by President Donald Trump’s insistence on funding for a US-Mexico border wall.
Although the Senate was due to formally reconvene after the Christmas break, lawmakers gave no sign they would quickly tackle the budget impasse that has left parts of the government without funds for six days.
Trump, apparently not sleeping after a grueling day-trip to Iraq — his first visit to US combat troops since being elected — indicated on Twitter that he was in no mood to back down.
He wants $5 billion for extensions and improvements to a Mexico border barrier that he has made the centerpiece of his domestic political platform, arguing that the United States needs protection from illegal immigration.
Opposition Democrats and some of Trump’s own Republicans refuse. They accuse the president of overhyping the immigration problem for political gain and say that a wall is not the best form of border security.
In retaliation, Trump has refused to sign a wider spending package, forcing large parts of the government to hibernate as 800,000 federal employees temporarily go unpaid.
Both sides seemed determined to continue the standoff.
