US shutdown: Democrats accused of holding US citizens 'hostage' as Senate chaos marks Donald Trump's first-year anniversary in White House

Ella Wills20 January 2018

Donald Trump’s White House has accused Democrats of holding US citizens "hostage over their reckless demands" after the Senate began a shutdown.

In a statement after the US government shut down at midnight on Friday, it said: "Tonight, they put politics above our national security, military families, vulnerable children, and our country's ability to serve all Americans.

"We will not negotiate the status of unlawful immigrants while Democrats hold our lawful citizens hostage over their reckless demands. This is the behaviour of obstructionist losers, not legislators."

It came after the Senate shut down on the first anniversary of Mr Trump's inauguration as president.

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Democrats and Republicans, locked in a bitter dispute over immigration and border security, failed to agree on a last-minute deal to fund its operations.

Leaders have said they are committed to getting a quick agreement and agreed to reopen negotiations on Saturday.

In a late-night session, senators blocked a bill to extend government funding through to February 16.

The bill needed 60 votes in the 100-member Senate but only 50 supported it.

The White House said it 'will not negotiate the status of unlawful immigrants' while Democrats hold US citizens 'hostage'
AP

Most Democrats opposed the bill because their efforts to include protections for hundreds of thousands of mostly young immigrants, known as Dreamers, were rejected by President Donald Trump and Republican leaders.

After negotiations between Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer were unsuccessful, the US government technically ran out of money at midnight.

The shutdown formally began on Saturday, but the two men said they remained committed to reaching a deal.

Until a funding deal is worked out, scores of federal agencies across the country will be unable to operate, and hundreds of thousands of "non-essential" federal workers will be put on temporary unpaid leave.

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It sparked a quick blame game between sides as Mr Trump quickly moved to blame Democrats.

In return, Schumer pointed the finger directly at Trump.

"It's almost as if you were rooting for a shutdown and now we'll have one and the blame should crash entirely on President Trump's shoulders," he said.

While Democrat and Republican leaders said they will seek a quick agreement, both sides may now be less willing to make concessions.

The Senate began a shutdown on the first anniversary of Donald Trump's presidency
AP

A political defeat on the issue could be costly, especially with the control of Congress up for grabs at midterm elections later this year.

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed a stopgap funding measure on Thursday. But Republicans then needed the support of at least 10 Democrats to pass the bill in the Senate. While five Democrats ended up voting for the measure, five Republicans voted against it.

Democratic leaders wanted the measure to include protections from deportation for about 700,000 undocumented immigrants who arrived in the United States as children.

Despite bipartisan negotiations, Republican leaders refused to include those protections, and neither side was willing to back down.

Despite the formal shutdown, "essential" employees who deal with public safety and national security will keep working.

That includes more than 1.3 million people on active duty in the military who will be required to work but will not be paid until funding is renewed or handled with separate legislation.

Although past government shutdowns have done little lasting damage to the US economy, they can rattle financial markets and undermine the United States' reputation abroad.

This impasse follows a months-long struggle in Congress to agree on government funding levels and protections for Dreamers, most of whom are originally from Mexico or Central America. They were given temporary legal status under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program started by former President Barack Obama.

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