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U.S. under Trump Series: Government shutdown looms as Republicans scramble to pass budget through Senate

The United States’ government will shut down after midnight today if the Republicans fail to pass the stop-gap budget that would once again provide a temporary lifeline of four weeks to the government before a more long-term deal can be reached.  The Democrats have already signaled their reluctance to sign up to the stopgap bill that would maintain funding for federal agencies beyond midnight on Friday.

The House of Representatives has already passed the stop-gap budget on Thursday but passing the same bill through the Senate would be a daunting task as the Republican majority runs very thin there. The Republicans and Democrats have failed to pass the long-term funding bill because of a battle over immigration and funding for the border wall along the Southern border of the United States proposed by President Trump during the campaign. To win Democratic support for the stop-gap bill to keep the government funded beyond Friday, Republicans have included support for a popular children’s insurance program.

However, the President wasn’t happy with the decision and tweeted that CHIP (popular Child insurance program) should be part of a long-term solution not 30-days or short-term. As the Republicans struggle to find the needed Democratic Support, President Trump took to Twitter to criticize the Democrats over immigration, “House of Representatives needs to pass Government Funding Bill tonight. So important for our country - our Military needs it!..... Government Funding Bill past last night in the House of Representatives. Now Democrats are needed if it is to pass in the Senate - but they want illegal immigration and weak borders. Shutdown coming? We need more Republican victories in 2018!”

In 2018’s Senate election, immigration is likely to be at the center of agendas.

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