US government shutdown begins over Trump’s wall

The US government began a Christmastime shutdown early Saturday, after Congress adjourned without passing a federal spending bill or addressing President Donald Trump’s demand for money to build a border wall.

Operations for several key agencies ceased at 12:01 am Saturday (5:01 GMT), despite last-ditch talks that continued on Capitol Hill between White House officials and congressional leaders in both parties.

Trump said Friday that he hopes the impending government shutdown will not be a lengthy one.

“The shutdown hopefully will not last long,” Trump said in a video post on his Twitter account.

AFP reported on Thursday that Trump and congressional Democrats stood at stark odds as the president balked at a spending stopgap that contains no border wall funding, leaving the US government on the verge of a Christmastime shutdown.

READ MORE: Former FBI chief lashes out at Trump, Republicans

The unpredictable leader’s rejection of a measure that unanimously passed the Senate and was under consideration in the House plunged Washington into political chaos barely 24 hours before a midnight Friday deadline for funding to expire for key agencies.

Trump appeared to harden his demand for $5 billion in funding for the wall on the US-Mexico border, something he has fought for since he began campaigning for president in 2015.

Republican leaders had planned to pass a so-called continuing resolution (CR) that would fully fund the government until February 8 to allow time for debate about issues including border security.

But with ultra-conservative lawmakers and media personalities effectively demanding that the president stick to his campaign promises, Trump doubled down.

“I’ve made my position very clear. Any measure that funds the government has to include border security,” he said at a White House event.

“Walls work, whether we like it or not,” he added. “They work better than anything.”

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