The United States government partial shutdown headed for a second day on Sunday, with White House budget director Mick Mulvaney saying that the shutdown could be continued into the next congress and the new year.
The partial shutdown has forces several key organizations of the US to cease their operations starting on Saturday.
A budget deal in order to end the partial shutdown appeared to be a faraway prospect as the US congress had adjourned for the weekend ahead of Christmas Eve.
According to news reports, the White House director said: “It’s very possible that this shutdown will go beyond the 28th and into the new Congress.” In order to put blame of democrats over the government shutdown, Mulvaney acknowledged that President Donald Trump’s adamancy over the construction of US-Mexico border wall played a big role.
Mulvaney said, “This is what Washington looks like when you have a president who refuses to sort of go along to get along.”
Trump’s republican party holds the control over both the senate and the house of representatives. Though, on January 3, democrats will take control over the house, providing them a great leverage in shutdown talks.
Due to the budget collapse, Trump canceled his holiday trip to Florida.
A signature campaign has promised that Trump has repeatedly said Mexico would fund for the wall. On Sunday, Trump has tweeted: “The only way to stop drugs, gangs, human trafficking, criminal elements and much else from coming into our Country is with a Wall or Barrier,” adding, “Drones and all of the rest are wonderful and lots of fun, but it is only a good old fashioned Wall that works!”
But however, the democrats believes that they have much stronger hand against Trump in the face-off, who had said he would be “proud” to force government for a shutdown.
On Saturday, due to the absence of budget deal, federal funds for many agencies lapsed with leaving around 400,000 federal workers on day-off. Several agencies were deemed which has affected workers, including airport security workers, health inspectors and border patrol officers – with many of other without any pay.
Mulvaney said, “The Democrats offered us $1.6 billion a couple weeks ago, then they offered the president $1.3 billion this week.” Mulvaney was set become Trump’s next acting in chief of staff in January.
Mulvaney said, “That’s a negotiation that seems like it’s going in the wrong direction.”
Senator Chris Coons said now “there is, frankly, no path towards his getting $5 billion in American taxpayer money to meet his campaign promise of a ‘big, beautiful wall’ with Mexico”.
Republican senator Bob Corker said if a broader deal could be reached than “the democrats easily would support more border funding, border security, they’ve said that”.
Corker said, “This is something that is unnecessary. It’s a spectacle and, candidly, it’s juvenile,” adding, “This is a made-up fight so that the president can look like he’s fight.”
A Wisconsin health care worker Jeffrey Grignon said the politicians of both the parties “need to stop acting like children”.
Another visitor, Howard Vander Griend predicted that Trump will come out as a winner: “I think he will get what he wants, and I think that’s a good thing.”