Goverment Shuts down for 35 Days

On December 22, 2018, the funding for about 1/3 of the Federal government ran out. An agreement to extend funding was initially passed by the Senate, but after President Trump changes his mind since there was no funding for a border wall that he wished to have the House did not take up the bill before the end of the Congressional term. When the new Congress was sworn in the Democratic House voted a number of funding bills. The Senate which was controlled by Republicans refused to bring up the House bill without President Trump agreeing to it. President Trump made it clear that he would not agree to any funding unless the funding bill included funding for the wall. Trump addressed the American people on Saturday afternoon the 19th at which time he offered to extend legal protection for the Dreamers (illegal immigrants who came with their parents while they were children) in return for funding of his border wall. The Democrats turned down his proposal, both because the courts had for the moment given protection to the Dreamers and other provision that Democrats opposed.

In the course of the disagreement aside fight developed when Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi sent President Trump a letter telling him that he would not be invited to give the State of the Union address until after the government was funded. While Trump attempted to fight Pelosi’s decision, he eventually acquiesced and agreed to speak after the shut-down

The standoff continued until January 24th when the Senate voted on two bills, a straight, continuing resolution to open the government and bill that reflected the President Trump’s plan. Neither resolution received enough votes to pass. Additional negotiations continued, however on the morning of January 25th the toll of having 800,000 workers either furloughed or working without pay, now for two pay periods air traffic controller in the North East started calling in sick in record numbers. As a result, massive delays began taking place at airports in the North East. On Friday afternoon President Trump gave in an agreed to three-week funding of the government. He warned that if an agreement was not reached in the three weeks to fund the government, he would take the controversial action of declaring a National Emergency to fund the wall.