US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that United States government is on the brink of a shutdown in almost seven years and blamed Democrats for the stalled talks with Republicans on a funding deal.“We’ll probably have a shutdown,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office just hours before a midnight deadline for a deal. “Nothing is inevitable, but I would say it’s probably likely.”
Shutdown in almost seven years
The US government will witness a shutdown in almost seven years, triggered by a partisan standoff over health care and spending. Democrats and Republicans in Congress are unable to find agreement; meanwhile, thousands of federal workers are at risk of being laid off. If the Senate does not pass a House measure, the government will shut down at 12.01 am on Wednesday. The House measure will help extend federal funding for seven weeks. However, Senate Democrats vowed to stand against it, saying that they would not vote for it unless Republicans include an extension of expiring health care benefits.Trump and his colleagues have maintained that they will not negotiate. They added that it is a stripped-down, “clean” bill that should be noncontroversial.
Which side will blink first? No clarity yet
“It’s only the president who can do this. We know he runs the show here,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said.“Republicans have until midnight tonight to get serious with us,” Schumer said.Meanwhile, Trump mocked Democrats by posting a video. “They lost the election in a landslide, and they don’t change,’ Trump said Tuesday morning.The US government witnessed the last shutdown during Trump’s first term from December 2018 to January 2019. It was triggered after he demanded that Congress give him money for his US-Mexico border wall. It was the longest shutdown ever, as he retreated after 35 days.
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