Page 4 - ARUBA TODAY
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A4 U.S. NEWS
Saturday 29 december 2018
GOP and Democrats trade blame for shutdown, no deal in sight
By ZEKE MILLER, JILL COLVIN mounting stress from the
and LISA MASCARO impasse. It also is begin-
Associated Press ning to pinch citizens who
WASHINGTON (AP) — The count on public services.
partial government shut- Gates are closed at some
down will almost certainly national parks, the govern-
be handed off to a divid- ment won’t issue new fed-
ed government to solve in eral flood insurance poli-
the new year, as President cies, new farm loans will be
Donald Trump sought to put on hold beginning next
raise the stakes Friday and week, and in New York, the
both parties traded blame chief judge of Manhattan
in the weeklong impasse. federal courts suspended
Agreement eludes Wash- work on civil cases involv-
ington in the waning days ing U.S. government law-
of the Republican monop- yers, including several civil
oly on power, and that sets lawsuits in which Trump
up the first big confronta- himself is a defendant.
tion between Trump and The Smithsonian Institution
newly empowered Demo- also announced that mu-
crats. Trump is sticking with seums and galleries popu-
his demand for money lar with visitors and locals
to build a wall along the in the nation’s capital will
southern border, and Dem- People skate on the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden Ice Rink, Thursday, Dec. 27, 2018, as close starting midweek if
ocrats, who take control of a partial government shutdown continues in Washington. the partial shutdown drags
Associated Press on.
the House on Jan. 3, are re- With another long holiday
fusing to give him what he weekend coming and
wants. nearly all lawmakers away
Trump worked to escalate from the Capitol there is
the showdown Friday, reis- little expectation of a quick
suing threats to close the fix.
U.S.-Mexico border to pres- Mulvaney said Democrats
sure Congress to fund the are no longer negotiat-
wall and to shut off aid to ing with the administration
three Central American over an earlier offer to ac-
countries from which many cept less than the $5 billion
migrants have fled. Trump wants for the wall.
“We will be forced to close Democrats said the White
the Southern Border entire- House offered $2.5 billion
ly if the Obstructionist Dem- for border security, but that
ocrats do not give us the Senate Democratic leader
money to finish the Wall & Chuck Schumer told Vice
also change the ridiculous President Mike Pence it
immigration laws that our wasn’t acceptable.
Country is saddled with,” “There’s not a single Dem-
he wrote in one of a series ocrat talking to the presi-
of tweets. dent of the United States
The president also signaled about this deal,” Mulvaney
he was in no rush to seek a said Friday
resolution, welcoming the Speaking on Fox News and
fight as he heads toward later to reporters, he tried
his own bid for re-election to drive a wedge between
in 2020. He tweeted Thurs- Democrats, pinning the
day evening that Demo- blame on House Demo-
crats may be able to block cratic leader Nancy Pelosi.
him now, “but we have “My gut was that (Schum-
the issue, Border Security. er) was really interested in
2020!” doing a deal and coming
Incoming acting chief of to some sort of compro-
staff Mick Mulvaney said mise. But the more we’re
Trump had canceled his hearing this week is that
plans to travel to Florida to it’s Nancy Pelosi who’s pre-
celebrate New Year’s at his venting that from happen-
private Mar-a-Lago club. ing,” he said, alleging that if
The shutdown is forcing Pelosi “cuts a deal with the
hundreds of thousands of president of any sort before
federal workers and con- her election on January 3rd
tractors to stay home or she’s at risk of losing her
work without pay, and speakership, so we’re in this
many are experiencing for the long haul.”q
