US government shutdown: Republicans and Democrats lock horns over immigration
Washington — President Donald Trump and Republican legislators were locked in a standoff with Democrats over the US government shutdown at the weekend, with Republicans saying that they would not negotiate about immigration until the government is reopened. Funding for federal agencies ran out at midnight on Friday in the first shutdown of the federal government since a 16-day funding lapse in October 2013. It meant that the second year of Trump’s presidency began without a fully functioning government. Democrats stuck to their demands that any short-term spending legislation must include protection for young undocumented immigrants known as Dreamers. Republicans in turn said they would not negotiate on immigration until Democrats gave them the votes needed to reopen the government. Government workers were told to stay home or, in some cases, to work without pay until new funding was approved. The Republican-controlled Senate and House of Representatives held rare weekend sessions o...
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