Government Closure Becomes Longest in US History



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The 22-day government shutdown has become the longest stop in US history, breaking a record since 1996, on Saturday.

President Donald Trump and Congress continue to challenge funding for a wall on the southern border, a proposal backed by the president.

Meanwhile, nearly 800,000 federal employees are affected – many of them have missed their first salary since the start of the shutdown on Friday, according to the American Federation of Government Employees. Another third will have a salary forgotten Monday and the rest will be empty Tuesday.

  PHOTO: Hundreds of federal employees and contractors mobilize against the partial closure of the federal government in front of the AFL-CIO headquarters on January 10, 2019 in Washington, DC [19659005] Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images </span></picture></div><figcaption><span class= Hundreds of Federal workers and contractors demonstrate against the partial closure of the federal government in front of the AFL-CIO headquarters on January 10, 2019, in Washington, DC [19659007 About half of these workers – 420,000 – are forced to work without pay.

On Friday, the closure resulted in the longest government closure of history, which lasted 21 days, from December 1995 to January 1996, under the presidency of Bill Clinton. A poll released in November 1995 by the Washington Post / ABC News revealed that respondents were primarily responsible for the Republican Congress and not the Clinton government.

Throughout American history, government closures have been a symbol of dysfunction within the government. Between 1976 and 1996, the government closed 17 times.

During past closures, federal employees received salary arrears after the government resumed operations. But an unknown number of contractors are unlikely to receive compensation.

Negotiations stopped this week after a tense meeting between Trump and Democrats. After denying the president's proposal to fund a wall on the southern border, the Democrats said the president had launched a "tantrum" after the meeting.

"It is cold here and the temperature is not much more lenient in the room of the situation," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

  PHOTO: Cost of Closing the Government ABC NEWS
Cost of Closing the Government

The Vice President denied these claims, stating that the Speaker was calm. "The president came into the room and handed out sweets," said Pence. "It's true, I do not remember that he ever raised his voice or slammed his hand," Pence said.

Trump spoke to Twitter to call the meeting "a total waste of time." On Thursday, the president said that he could declare a national emergency situation at the border if his administration and the Democrats remained without agreement. The White House has asked the Army Corps to explore funds in its budget for the construction of the wall. He also canceled his trip to the World Economic Forum in Switzerland citing "Democrats' intransigence on border security."

  President Donald Trump, accompanied by Carolyn Bunny Welsh, Sheriff of Chester County, Pennsylvania, on the left, and AJ Louderback, Sheriff of Jackson County, Texas, attends a roundtable on Border Security with Local leaders, Friday, January 11, 2019. The Associated Press
President Donald Trump, with Carolyn "Bunny" Welsh, Sheriff of Chester County, Pennsylvania, left, and AJ Louderback, Sheriff of Jackson County, Texas, participates in a roundtable on border security with local leaders, Friday, January 11, 2019.

Up to now, the Trump administration has been trying to mitigate the Impact on the general public by promising to maintain food aid until February and by bringing the staff of the Internal Revenue Service to process tax refunds.

But the longer the closure lasts, the more federal agencies will operate in unknown territory.

One of the big questions is whether low-income housing subsidies could be threatened. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development announced this month that 1,150 contracts with homeowners have already expired and another 500 will expire in January and 500 in February.

HUD officials stated that the evictions had not occurred during previous closures.

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