President Trump and prominent Democrats met Friday to discuss ending the government shutdown, which the president had claimed responsibility to further the cause border security. The talks were described by the president as productive, but the Democrats disagreed. Photo: APWASHINGTON—The IRS will pay tax refunds even though the agency is subject to the federal government shutdown, after the Trump administration reversed a longstanding policy. The decision, announced Monday by the White House Office of Management and Budget, would remove one of the biggest potential pains for Americans from the shutdown and allow hundreds of billions of dollars to flow once tax filing opens later this month in the event that the shutdown lasts that long.

Source: Wall Street Journal January 07, 2019 20:23 UTC