WASHINGTON – Efforts to swiftly end the US government shutdown collapsed Wednesday as Democrats in Congress went home without resolving a funding stand-off with President Donald Trump and the White House threatened public sector jobs.
Federal funding expired at midnight after Trump and lawmakers failed to agree on a deal to keep the lights on, prompting agencies to wind down services, while the White House warned of “imminent” firings of public sector workers.
Senate Democrats — who are demanding extended health care subsidies for low-income families — refused to help the majority Republicans approve a House-passed bill that would have reopened the government for several weeks while negotiations continue.
Voting in the Senate is now adjourned until Friday, frustrating hopes for a quick resolution.
Around 750 000 federal employees are expected to be placed on furlough — a kind of enforced leave, with pay withheld until they return to work.
Essential workers, such as the military and border agents, may be forced to work without pay and some will likely miss their checks beginning next week.
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association voiced fears for air safety as more than 2 300 members were sent home.
The crisis has higher stakes than previous shutdowns, with Trump racing to enact hard-right policies that include slashing government departments and threatening to turn many of the furloughs into mass firings.
Spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters the administration was “working with agencies across the board to identify where cuts can be made… and we believe that layoffs are imminent.”
The Department of Energy announced plans to terminate clean energy projects, all in blue states according to White House official Russell Vought, who said the slashed funding had been used to advance “the Left’s climate agenda”.
The Department of Transportation also froze nearly $18 billion in federal funding for major infrastructure projects in New York, which Governor Kathy Hochul called “political payback”. – Nampa/AFP