WASHINGTON, United States – US lawmakers were scrambling Monday to avert a partial government shutdown, with Republican and Democratic leaders locked in a stalemate over President Donald Trump’s demands for border wall funding. ADVERTISEMENTIf no breakthrough is reached, the shutdown would occur over the Christmas holiday — when most lawmakers flee the US Capitol — leaving Washington red-faced at the end of the year. The closure could potentially spill into early January, when the new Congress — including a Democratically controlled House of Representatives — is sworn in. On Monday Trump launched a fresh attack on the opposition party and its offer of wall-less border security funding. Should a shutdown occur, it would be relatively limited, as Congress has already funded most government operations through September 2019.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer December 18, 2018 00:22 UTC