US lawmakers avert another federal shutdown, reach agreement to fund Trump govt

The Democrats and the Republicans have reached an agreement to avert another federal shutdown of the US government. According to the Associated Press, “negotiators from both parties say lawmakers have reached an agreement in principle to fund government, avoid shutdown.” It is still not clear whether the agreement also includes any funding for the proposed wall on the southern borders of the US. On January 26, US President Donald Trump had ended the longest shutdown in the country’s history. However, the January 26 announcement meant that the US government would open, albeit temporarily. If not for today’s agreement, the shutdown would have come into effect sometime later next week.

Functioning of several key wings of the US government, including Security and State departments, were paralysed for nearly four weeks now because of the partial government shutdown.

President Trump insists that building a wall is the only solution to protect the nation from a large flow of illegal immigrants and drug smuggling.

The Democrats are opposed to any such funding. After Trump walked out of a meeting at the White House last week, Democrats have refused to come to the negotiation table.

Pelosi and the Democratic party argue that such a funding is a wastage of tax payers payer and does not reflect the ethos of American culture.

The divide between the parties has led to some 800,000 federal government employees being rendered without work.  

The shutdown on January 12 broke the previous record of 21 days of US government shutdown under the Bill Clinton administration in December 16, 1995 to January 5, 1996.

Besides the border issue, the divide between Trump and Pelosi deepened after he denied her a military plane for an "excursion" to Brussels and war-torn Afghanistan, a tit-for-tat retaliation after the House Speaker asked the president to reschedule his annual State of the Union address slated for January 29.

Pelosi, who is third in line to the presidency, had made the suggestion citing security reasons triggered by the shutdown that has entered its 28th day.