US government enters partial shutdown

WASHINGTON: The US government went into a partial shutdown went into effect early on Saturday (local time), ABC News reported.

The partial federal government shutdown came hours after the Senate met a last-minute deadline to approve a revised package of government-funding bills. But as per ABC News, the House is not expected to approve the changes until Monday at the earliest.

The US Senate voted on Friday to separate out extended funding for the Department of Homeland Security. It was after reaching a deal with the White House to put that off for two weeks to negotiate Democrats’ demands for restrictions on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), including requiring agents to wear body cameras turned on and to wear no masks, as per ABC News.

The vote was 71-29, with only five Republicans voting against: Senators Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, Ron Johnson and Rick Scott. The bill will now head to the House, where Speaker Mike Johnson is expected to bring the package to the floor. Rules say that it requires the two-thirds majority for passage.

The U.S. government slipped into a partial shutdown early Saturday after Congress missed a midnight deadline to finalize a spending package. pic.twitter.com/iPOd5caq3C

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The passage needs strong support from Republicans and Democrats for the bill to reach US President Donald Trump’s table, ABC News reported.

The road for Senate vote was cleared earlier on Friday when Republican Senator Lindsey Graham lifted his hold after securing a commitment from Senate Majority Leader John Thune for a vote on banning sanctuary cities in the coming weeks, as per ABC News.

Minority Leader of the United States Senate, Chuck Schumer also highlighted Democrats’ demands on ICE Officials. “This is not America, not America. And when you see those images, know that something is dramatically wrong and it must change. We are fighting to change it. Will our Republican colleagues join us now?” he said.

“If our colleagues are not willing to enact real change, real strong change, they should not expect Democratic votes,” Schumer said. “We have only a few days to deliver real progress for the American people, the eyes of the nation are watching”, Schumer further said. (ANI)