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The Capitol is visible at the end of the day as the Senate is working on a bill passed by the House of Representatives who would pay the wall of the border of President Donald Trump and avoid a partial closure of the government, Capitol in Washington. , Friday 21 December 2018. (AP Photo / J. Scott Applewhite)
WASHINGTON – Even though the frenetic negotiations continued on Capitol Hill, the House adjourned without spending on Friday being wasted, while ensuring a partial closure of the government at midnight, President Donald Trump demanding billions of dollars for its long-standing promises. Mexican border wall.
Trump's main envoys were striving to negotiate a last-minute compromise with the Democrats and some legislators of their own Republican party. But as vice president Mike Pence, the White House acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, and senior advisor Jared Kushner rushed to the Capitol, there were no outside signs of it. ;a deal.
more votes Friday night.
The closure, scheduled for midnight, would disrupt government operations and leave hundreds of thousands of federal employees on leave or forced to work without pay a few days before Christmas.
When signing a bill at the White House, Trump said that the government was "totally prepared for a very long closure", although almost no one thought that a long shutdown was likely.
The president tried to assume the responsibility of the Democrats, even though he said he would be "proud" last week. "Claiming the property of a stop in a battle for the wall." By campaigning for the office two years ago, he had declared that the wall would rise "so fast that it would make you turn your head He also promised that Mexico would pay the price, which, according to Mexico, will never do.
"This is our only chance we can have, in our opinion, because of the world and the way it is, high security at the borders, "Trump told the White House Friday, Democrats will take control of the House in January and oppose significant funding for building walls. [19659005SeekingawaytowinTrumpsaidhewouldacceptmoneyfora"slattedsteelfence"withspikesontop
Trump summoned Republican senators for a morning meeting , but the long round trips did not seem define the strategy to be adopted towards the front. An unnamed person who was not allowed to discuss the closed session said the president would not accept the underfunding that senators had discussed. He claimed $ 5.7 billion.
"I was in a one hour meeting about it and there was no conclusion," said Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell returned to Capitol Hill and quickly took the lead. a procedural vote on a Republican House package that would give Trump the money he wanted for the wall, but it was not expected that it would be passed.
To underline the difficulty, the fact that the Senate vote to proceed is stalled by a long wait as senators were recalled in Washington. They had already approved a bipartisan package earlier this week that would maintain existing funding for border security at $ 1.3 billion, but no new money for the Trump Wall. Many were at home for the holidays.
It was only after a five-hour marathon that Pence voted for a tiebreaker that broke the stalemate over the negotiations and started negotiations that the senators hoped would be successful to a resolution.
Continue this towards a negotiation, "said Senator Bob Corker, R-Tenn, who wanted assurances that the next vote would be on an agreement reached by all parties. we can do to prevent the government from closing its doors – or if it does, close it very briefly. "
Steny Hoyer, the number two democracy in the House, said it looked like The senior officials spoke and he indicated that any government disruption could be brief.
In this impasse, Pence and the others were sent to Capitol Hill to meet the leader of the Senate minority, Chuck Schumer, who told them said that the senator's spokesman would not have succeeded in convincing the senator of the wall's money.
Schumer told Pence, Mulvaney and Kushner that other proposals to maintain the government with Existing border security funds were still on the table.
the others then crossed the Capitol to meet the Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan.
The Senate was to reject the measure of the House because democratic votes were necessary and McConnell showed little interest in changing the rules – as Trump said
One of the possibilities was that the Senate remove funds from the boundary wall, transmit them and return them to the House. Legislators in the House have been told to stay in town on call.
Another idea was to revive a previous bipartisan Senate bill providing $ 1.6 billion for border security but not the wall.
"The biggest problem is that we do not know what the president will sign," said Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz.
Senators were so reluctant to return to Washington that McConnell and others had flipped badges indicating that they were members of the Cranky Senate Coalition.
Texas Sen Senate Republican No. 2 John Cornyn said he returned to the state of Lone Star on Thursday before taking a plane to Washington on Thursday morning.
Democrat Senator Brian Schatz flew to Hawaii. tweeting that he spent 17 minutes with his family before resuming the 11 o'clock flight.
"The DIA is ready to vote against this stupid wall," tweeted Schatz on Twitter, referring to the Dulles International Airport near Washington. [19659005] Only a week ago, Trump insisted during a televised meeting at the White House, he would appropriate a wall closure of his border. "It will be me who will close the market," he said.
But with the diminishing hours before midnight, he sought to reframe the debate and blame the Democrats for the stalemate that threatens hundreds of thousands of federal workers at the end of the year. year.
The White House said Mr. Trump would not go to Florida on Friday as planned for the Christmas holidays if the government decided to close its doors.
The issue is funding 9 of the 15 cabinet members. departments and dozens of agencies, including the departments of Homeland Security, Transportation, Interior, Agriculture, State and Justice, as well as national parks and forests.
Many organizations, including the Pentagon and the Veterans Affairs and Health and Human Services Ministries, are funded for the year and would continue to function normally. The United States Postal Service, busy delivering parcels for the holiday season, would not be affected as it was an independent body.
House and Senate packages would extend government funding until February 8, while ensuring a new stalemate once Democrats take control. of the New Year's House.
"Many of us want to avoid a shutdown," said Kansas GOP Senator Pat Roberts. "I have met about five during my career, none of which has worked in accordance with their intentions."
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Alan Fram, Kevin Freking, Mary Clare and Jill Colvin, Associated Press editors contributed to this report.
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