:strip_icc()/i.s3.glbimg.com/v1/AUTH_59edd422c0c84a879bd37670ae4f538a/internal_photos/bs/2018/N/H/TEA8G3QFOJxIeSkvNgHg/2018-12-23t012207z-1115407196-rc194df52190-rtrmadp-3-usa-congress-budget.jpg)
[ad_1]
Due to the disruption, which disrupted the operations of several large US agencies, the president stopped going to Florida and announced that he would stay in Washington during the Christmas holidays.
Trump tweeted that he was "negotiating with Democrats on border security that they desperately need (gangs, drugs, human trafficking, etc.)."
The Republican, who made the fight against illegal immigration his main goal, rejected Thursday a budget compromise text prepared in the Senate because it did not include funds of $ 5 billion for finance the wall.
Democrats vehemently oppose construction. The lack of agreement resulted in the expiry of federal funds for dozens of agencies at midnight on Friday.
Nearly 800,000 public servants went on leave without pay or, in the case of essential services, forced to work without pay.
The House of Representatives and the Senate held meetings on Saturday, but both chambers postponed the debate without reaching an agreement. A vote should not take place until December 27th.
Visitors to the famous National Mall in Washington criticized the closure.
"I think it's ridiculous and useless," said Philip Gibbs, a retired professor in Virginia.
Jeffrey Grignon, a Wisconsin health professional, said politicians "must stop acting like children and do their jobs."
"They are not just one or two people, they are all," he criticized.
Although tourists can visit the region in general, they found the bathrooms closed, as well as some points of interest of the capital, such as the Christmas tree, the national archives and the visitor center from the White House.
The Statue of Liberty in New York remained open to the public thanks to the financing of its activities by the State of New York.
The partial status quo concerns important departments such as national security, justice, commerce, transport, treasury or the interior, which manages national parks, which are very busy during holidays.
Meanwhile, the Air Transport Supervisory Authority (FAA) said the blockade had no effect on pbadenger safety.
For Hank Johnson, a member of the Democratic Congress of Georgia, the closure affects employees who "deserve to pay rent, Christmas gifts and meals".
"Things are not going well in the United States," Republican legislator Carlos Curbelo said.
Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer blamed the president for this situation: "President Trump, if you want to open the government, leave the wall clear and simple."
The blockade is due to the fact that "President Trump is demanding billions of dollars for an expensive and ineffective wall that most Americans do not support".
This is the third closing of the year, after the stops of January (three days) and February (a few hours), because of the problem of immigration.
We do not know how long this time will last.
"It is negligent on the part of Congress and the President," said David Cox, president of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest union in the United States. category.
The Republican majority in the House of Representatives approved a budget proposal including the president's claims on the wall of the border, but the bill was blocked in the Senate.
With only 51 seats in the Senate out of 51, Republicans do not have the 60 votes needed to pbad a budget bill. And they can not count on the support of the Democrats, who categorically reject the idea of the wall.
For Trump, time is running out, as the Democrats will again be the majority in the House in January after winning the November general election.
In addition, the stalemate is set against a tense backdrop following the presidential announcement this week of the withdrawal of US troops from Syria, resulting in the resignation of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and anti-Kharty coalition envoy, Brett McGurk. It remains to be seen what will be the reaction of Wall Street on Monday, which closed Friday its worst week in 10 years because of the threat of closure, rising interest rates, the trade war and the prospect of economic crisis. economic slowdown in the United States.
