800,000 federal workers to miss second paycheck amid partial US government shutdown
As the longest government shutdown in US history grinds on, some 800,000 federal workers will miss their second consecutive pay check today.
The partial shutdown is currently in its 35th day with no end in sight. On Tuesday, Senate Democrats and Republicans announced competing bills to reopen the government, but neither is expected to pass. House Democrats drafted a bill that would give President Donald Trump his requested $5.7 billion for border security, but this funding could only be used to improve ports of entry and invest in new technologies, not to build a physical wall.
Meanwhile, the effects of the shutdown are becoming increasingly apparent, which many federal entities increasingly unable to execute their duties.
Public blame has primarily centred on the president–57% of voters currently disapprove of Mr Trump. However, with his presidency and 2020 re-election bid resting largely on his campaign promise to “build the wall”, the political stakes are too high for Trump to bend. Democrats, meanwhile, fear making concessions would fuel Republicans leading up to the election. Thus, expect the shutdown to continue, and expect the side that eventually blinks to suffer in 2020.
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