AMERICA woke up on Wednesday to a shuttered federal government after Congress failed to pass a stopgap spending bill.
It’s the first US government shutdown in nearly seven years, with hundreds of thousands of workers being forced off the job and public service grinding to a halt.
GettyAmerica’s federal government shut down after Congress failed to pass a spending bill[/caption]
AFPSenate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks at a press conference with other members of Senate Democratic leadership following two failed votes to fund the government[/caption]
AFPDuring the shutdown, Trump said ‘vast numbers of people’ could be fired from the federal agency[/caption]
And this time, the fight is over healthcare funding.
Senate Democrats blocked a Republican plan late Tuesday night, voting 55-45 against the measure and denying Republicans the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster.
GOP leaders had counted on at least eight Democratic defections but got only three — Sens. John Fetterman, Catherine Cortez Masto and Independent Angus King.
Republicans hold a 53-47 majority, but even one of their own, Sen. Rand Paul, voted no.
At 12.01am, federal agencies began executing shutdown plans.
National parks, museums, passport services and loan processing are going dark.
Food inspections and immigration courts will also slow.
And roughly 750,000 federal workers are expected to be furloughed, with more than a million workers working without pay.
President Donald Trump blamed Democrats and made clear he’s ready to use the shutdown to reshape government.
He said in the Oval Office: “So we’d be laying off a lot of people that are going to be very affected.
“And they’re Democrats, they’re going to be Democrats.”
“A lot of good can come down from shutdowns.”
Trump has threatened mass public-sector job cuts and hinted the pause could be used to kill programs the Democrats support.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer accused Republicans of trying to “bully” his party by refusing to extend expiring Affordable Care Act tax credits.
Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt, said: “The level of appeasement that Trump demands never ends.
“So is there a point where you just have to stand up to him? I think there is.”
But Democrats are split, with Sen. Angus King warning that the party’s brinkmanship could backfire.
“Instead of fighting Trump we’re actually empowering him, which is what finally drove my decision,” he said.
The White House Office of Management and Budget ordered agencies to carry out an “orderly shutdown” – a bureaucratic phrase for widespread disruption.
This is Trump’s second shutdown.
His first, in 2018-19, dragged on for 35 days, the longest in US history, before he backed down amid missed paychecks and airport chaos.
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AFPUS Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) (C), US Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) (L) and Patty Murray (D-WA) leave a press conference after a Senate vote on Capitol Hill[/caption]
AlamyPresident Trump speaking from the Oval Office on Tuesday[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
