US government shuts down after deadline passes, White House blames Democrats

The US government has shut down as the Congress failed to overcome standoff over spending and immigration.

Updated : Jan 20, 2018, 12:05 PM IST

US government shuts down after deadline passes, White House blames Democrats

The US government has shut down as the Congress failed to overcome standoff over spending and immigration.

The shutdown came into effect after the midnight deadline ended on Saturday. The White House, in its official statement, blamed the Democrats for the shutdown.

This is the behavior of obstructionist losers, not legislators. When Dems pay our armed forces & first responders we will reopen negotiations on immigration reform. During the politically manufactured #SchumerShutdown, @POTUS will fight for & protect the American people.
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 20, 2018

‘Senate Democrats put politics above national security, military families, vulnerable children, and our country’s ability to serve all Americans,’ the White House said in a tweet.

‘We will not negotiate the status of unlawful immigrants while Democrats hold our lawful citizens hostage over their reckless demands,’ it added.

‘This is the behaviour of obstructionist losers, not legislators. When Dems (Democrats) pay our armed forces and first responders we will reopen negotiations on immigration reform,’ the White House said.

Calling it a #SchumerShutdown, the White House also said that, ‘During the politically manufactured #SchumerShutdown, @POTUS (Donald Trump) will fight for and protect the American people.’

In a dramatic late-night session, senators blocked a bill to extend government funding through February 16. The bill needed 60 votes in the 100-member Senate but fell short with only 50 supporting it.

Most Democrats opposed the bill because their efforts to include protections for hundreds of thousands for the young immigrants known as Dreamers failed.

Huddled negotiations by Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer in the last minutes before midnight were unsuccessful, and the U.S. government technically ran out of money at midnight.

The shutdown formally began on Saturday, the first anniversary of President Donald Trump's inauguration.

Trump's administration immediately sought to blame Democrats.

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.

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 demanded that the measure include protections from deportation for about 700,000 undocumented immigrants known as Dreamers who arrived in the United States as children.

Republicans refused to include those protections, and neither side was willing to back down. McConnell and Schumer insisted they were still committed to finding an agreement that restores government funding as soon as possible.

It is not the first time that the US has faced such as situation. Last time, it was in 2013, when the Barack Obama administration faced the federal shutdown.

Read the full statement of White House here: