In the dispute over the financing of the border wall planned by President Donald Trump for Mexico, there has come to a partial standstill of the work of government agencies in the USA. Trump’s Republicans failed on Friday to get in the Senate the necessary votes from Democrats for the release of five billion dollars (4.38 billion euros), which calls for the president for the construction of the wall.
The money should be included in an interim budget, according to the will of Trump, which also ensures the financing of various authorities. Since Trump rejected a budget compromise without these funds, went to midnight (local time US East Coast, 6:00 clock MEZ) numerous offices from the money.
Now several government agencies have to limit their work to the essentials. However, three-quarters of the authorities can continue their work and their funding is secured until the end of September. Over the weekend, further negotiations are planned by Trump’s team and the top representatives in the congress in order to reach a solution before Christmas.
In video message Democrats reprimanded
Trump blamed the Democrats for the government shutdown. „We can do nothing more because we rely on the votes of the demo cards,“ it said in a video message via Twitter. Trump added that he hoped the government’s break would not last long. He had previously stated that if the Democrats vote No, there will be a „shutdown“ that will last a very long time. Although the Republicans in the Senate have a narrow majority, but for the interim budget, they depend on votes of the Democrats. These reject the wall.
Uncertainty about further action
The House of Representatives had previously passed a bill with the majority of Republicans, along with the five billion for the border wall. This met with resistance from the Democrats in the Senate. Even negotiations with Vice President Mike Pence and other representatives of the presidential office led to no compromise. When it became clear that there would be no majority for the Trump requirement, the deputies and senators were sent home for the time being.
How it goes on is unclear. Republican Kevin McCarthy told MEPs on Friday they were informed 24 hours before a vote. From 3 January, the Democrats take over after their vote in the congressional election in November in the House of Representatives the majority.
780,000 officials concerned
Up to a solution, the work of some federal agencies is now set or severely restricted. Financing among others the Homeland Security, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Justice ran out. National parks are closed. Around 400,000 government employees now have to work unpaid, with another 380,000 going on forced leave. However, numerous government agencies such as the security authorities, the border guards and the postal service can continue to work.
For Trump, the wall is of high symbolic value. It was one of his key promises in the 2016 election campaign. He had said at the time that the cost of the border plant would be borne by Mexico. The president argues that a wall could effectively combat illegal immigration and drug trafficking. For him, the implementation of the project is also important in view of a possible re-election in 2020.
Republican anger over Trump
Several Republicans are upset over Trump. Senator Marco Rubio recently said that Vice President Pence had hinted that Trump would agree to a budget compromise proposal totaling $ 1.6 billion for border security. Republican Senator Lamar Alexander said there was a way to reach an agreement with the Democrats, and all indications suggested that Trump would support it. Trump then insisted on the five billion dollars.
According to Democrat Chuck Schumer, Trump will not get away with it. „He will not get the Wall today, or next week, or January 3, when the Democrats take control of the House of Representatives.“
The threat of a government deadlock had already hit the US stock markets on Friday. The Dow Jones index of defaults lost just under two percent, the technology exchange NASDAQ just under three percent. However, worries about a slowdown in the global economy also contributed to this. The stock exchanges worldwide have been under pressure for weeks
