WASHINGTON: Some 800,000 federal workers are in for a bleak
Christmas
and New Year with no paycheck following a partial government shutdown that began Friday midnight consequent to US President Donald Trump’s
spat with Democrats over his proposed southern border wall
with Mexico.
Democrats refused President Trump’s demand for $5 billion to bankroll the wall saying it was unnecessary, resulting in Congress being unable to pass a spending bill that would have kept the government fully funded and functioning. Without the money, numerous federal agencies including those related to homeland security, tax collection, law enforcement and transportation shut down on Friday midnight.
The shutdown is only partial because many agencies are already funded till September 2019. Even among those not budgeted, some of the essential agencies and emergency workers will continue to work without pay on the assumption that they will be paid retroactively when a compromise is reached. They include Border Patrol agents, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers who man airport security, and agencies dealing with visa and visa clearance.
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