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A4 U.S. NEWS
Friday 28 december 2018

Government shutdown likely to stretch into next week

By JULIET LINDERMAN and Congress to fund his wall, need to secure our bor-
DARLENE SUPERVILLE saying the shutdown af- der.” He told CNN, “If they
Associated Press fects their supporters. He believe that this president is
WASHINGTON (AP) — asserted without evidence: going to yield on this partic-
Chances look slim for end- “Do the Dems realize that ular issue, they’re misread-
ing the partial government most of the people not get- ing him.”
shutdown any time soon. ting paid are Democrats?” The impasse over govern-
House lawmakers are be- Virginia Democratic Sen. ment funding began last
ing told not to expect fur- Mark Warner called Trump’s week, when the Senate
ther votes this week, all but comments “outrageous.” approved a bipartisan
ensuring the shutdown will In his tweet, he added: deal keeping government
enter a second week and “Federal employees don’t open into February. That
stretch toward the new go to work wearing red or bill provided $1.3 billion for
year. blue jerseys. They’re public border security projects but
Lawmakers are away from servants. And the President not money for the wall. At
Washington for the holidays is treating them like poker Trump’s urging, the House
and have been told they Tourists board a boat headed for the Statue of Liberty in New chips at one of his failed approved that package
will get 24 hours’ notice be- York, Thursday, Dec. 27, 2018. casinos.” and inserted the $5.7 billion
fore having to return for a Associated Press After a weekend and he had requested.
vote. And although both President Donald Trump is ately need” a wall on the two holiday days for fed- Kevin Hassett, the chair-
the House the Senate were vowing to hold the line on Mexico border, funding for eral employees, Wednes- man of the White House’s
slated to come into session his demand for money to which has been a flash- day was the first regularly Council of Economic Ad-
briefly Thursday afternoon, build a border wall. Back point between the White scheduled workday af- visers, said the shutdown
few senators or representa- from the 29-hour trip to visit House and Congress ever fected by the closure of a does not change the ad-
tives were expected to be U.S. troops, Trump tweeted since Trump took office. variety of federal services. ministration’s expectation
around for it. Thursday that “we desper- He called on Democrats in A brief statement Thursday for strong growth heading
from the office of Louisi- into 2019. He told reporters
ana Rep. Steve Scalise, the a shutdown of a few weeks
No. 3 Republican, spoke is not going to have any
to the dim prospect for a “significant effect on the
quick solution. “Members outlook.”
are advised that no votes Among those affected by
are expected in the House the shutdown — the third
this week,” the statement of 2018 — are the depart-
said. “Please stay tuned to ments of Homeland Se-
future updates for more in- curity, Transportation, In-
formation.” terior, Agriculture, State
The shutdown started Sat- and Justice. Those being
urday when funding lapsed furloughed include 52,000
for nine Cabinet-level de- workers at the Internal Rev-
partments and dozens of enue Service and nearly
agencies. Roughly 420,000 everyone at NASA. About 8
workers were deemed es- in 10 employees of the Na-
sential and are working tional Park Service are stay-
unpaid, while an addition- ing home, and many parks
al 380,000 have been fur- have closed.
loughed. The shutdown didn’t stop
While the White House people from visiting the
was talking to congres- White Sands National Mon-
sional Democrats — and ument in southern New
staff talks continued on Mexico, where hundreds of
Capitol Hill — negotiations unauthorized visitors have
dragged Wednesday, in recent days climbed
dimming hopes for a swift over a fence to enter the
breakthrough. monument, according
Republican Rep. Mark to The Alamogordo Daily
Meadows of North Caro- News. State highway work-
lina, a Trump ally who has ers were sent to the area
been involved in the talks, Monday to erect “no park-
said the president “is very ing” signs along U.S. 70 out-
firm in his resolve that we side the monument.q