Congress takes steps to avoid an immediate halt with an extension of funding for two weeks



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The palliative measure, which is now moving towards the White House to the signature of President Donald Trump, pushes the deadline for the funding of several government agencies from December 7 to 21. If Trump signs the measure, the legislator will have avoided a partial halt this week, but the threat of a possible halt is still present on the horizon.

Legislators met to finalize funding extension after George HW's death. Bush. On Capitol Hill, much of the week was spent paying tribute to the former president who was lying in the Capitol Rotunda for several days.

Congressional leaders from both sides indicated that they did not want a partial closure. but Democrats and Republicans remain stuck on Trump's $ 5 billion demand for his long-promised border wall and the issue remains the main stumbling block in the negotiations.

"It's getting late, it's not yet past midnight, but it's getting closer to the end of the month," Senate Committee Chair Richard Shelby said on Wednesday.

Asked that two more weeks would help legislators reach an agreement on the financing of the walls, Shelby replied, "I think you could do it in 15 minutes if you could find a solution. They are a good question … I do not know if they will. "

A key question now is whether the president and congressi Democratic leaders alone can reach an agreement.

Senate Republicans have suggested the possibility of trying to allocate $ 5 billion over the next two years.

Senate Democrat Leader Chuck Schumer has so far said that the President must either agree to enact a funding bill from the Department of Homeland Security, which enjoys bipartisan support to Senate, and would spend $ 1.6 billion on border security or would maintain EDS funding for an additional year through a short-term spending measure called permanent resolution.

The President kept up the pressure during the week by reiterating his call for funding for the wall. "We would save billions of dollars if the Democrats gave us the vote to build the wall, and in any case, people will NOT be allowed into our country illegally!" the president tweeted on Monday.

Legislators have adopted a government spending package to fund a large portion of the government before the 2018 mid-term elections – if such a ruling were to occur, it would not affect the entire federal government. 19659002] But that does not mean that a partial stop would not be disruptive. The current funding deadline is in effect for government entities, including the Department of Homeland Security, the State Department and the Department of the Interior.

This story has been updated with other developments.

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