Government shutdown news: Trump will not declare national emergency 'right now' as Pelosi says he must make next move over impasse
Furloughed public sector staff bear brunt of current impasse in Washington as up to 800,000 go without pay
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Your support makes all the difference.Thousands of federal workers missed their first pay cheque of the year on Friday as the US government shutdown neared an ignominious record for the longest in the nation’s history.
More than 800,000 public sector staff are either furloughed or have been working without any guarantee of pay since the current impasse began on 22 December.
Donald Trump had threatened to declare a national emergency to bypass congress and force through the spending plan at the centre of the dispute, which includes $5.7bn (£4.5bn) funding for the president’s controversial border wall contested by Democrats. But on Friday, the president said he would not declare on "right now".
The government shutdown will become the longest in US history on Saturday, surpassing the 21-day deadlock seen between December 1995 and January 1996 during Bill Clinton’s presidency.
“The easy solution is for me to call a national emergency. I could do that very quickly,” Mr Trump said during a White House event on border security. “I have the absolute right to do it. But I'm not going to do it so fast. Because this is something Congress should do.”
Mr Trump spoke after legislators had left Washington for the weekend, precluding any possible action until next week.
House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said President Trump needs to make the next move to end the impasses.
“When the president acts, we will respond to whatever he does,” Ms Pelosi told reporters at a ceremonial event following congressional passage of legislation guaranteeing that federal employees will receive back pay once government agencies reopen.
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The White House is said to have directed the Army Corps of Engineers to comb through its budget in search of money for the wall, including looking at $13.9 billion in unspent disaster relief funds earmarked for areas including hurricane-damaged Puerto Rico.
But Representative Mark Meadows, a Republican with a close relationship with the president, discounted that option, saying it was not "under very serious consideration."
"If there's a list of top 10 priorities on where to get money from, that doesn't make the top 10 list," Mr Meadows said.
The House of Representatives just passed a bill guaranteeing backpay for federal workers furloughed during the government's partial shutdown. The vote was 411-7, an overwhelming majority voting in favor of the bill.
The Senate passed the bill yesterday.
Due to the government shutdown, thousands of federal workers did not get their first full paychecks on Friday.
What's next? The bill is sent to President Donald Trump for his signature. The president has repeatedly threatened to veto the bill since he has not been able to obtain $5.6 billion for his proposed border wall.
President Trump attacked members of the press in a tweet, claiming that his administration has already begun building a wall. He said his steel bollard design has an "anti-climbing feature."
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has said President Trump’s possible declaration of a national emergency at the border “his big diversion.”
Asked if the government would reopen if he declared a national emergency, Ms Pelosi said:
“I think that would be his purpose. Well, I guess his purpose is to build a wall. But remember this about the wall. This isn’t a wall between Mexico and the United States, this is a wall between his failures of his administration, problems that may happen with (Robert) Mueller, his cabinet in dismay and disgrace. That’s the wall he’s trying to build between public opinion and what is going on. And so, this is his big diversion. And he’s a master at diversion.”
Mr Trump tweeted about his visit to the southern border, claiming it "is a far worse situation than almost anyone would understand, an invasion!"
Tampa International Airport (TIA) is stepping in to help out its furloughed workers.
In partnership with United Way Suncoast, airport officials are starting a food bank for furloughed employees working for TIA's Transportation Security Administration, Customs and Border Protection and Federal Aviation Administration.
The food bank is expected to open on Monday at noon.
In addition to the food bank, the airport has partnered with a local bus company to provide federal airport workers with free bus passes during the shutdown. It is also working with local utility companies to offer assistance for furloughed workers, and is also providing lunch to airport employees on Monday and Thursday.
The Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearm (ATF) is among the list of agencies hit by the partial government shutdown. The ATF regulates alcohol beverages, and thus the shutdown has put a strain on the booming craft beer industry.
Breweries are required to apply for a permit, and be approved, before they can begin their operations. But the shutdown has halted several breweries from opening.
Lakefront Brewery, located in Wisconsin, are forced to put their new beers on hold because of the shutdown.
"It's our business. We have to do this. We have to keep rolling," Lakefront Brewery owner Russ Klisch told an ABC affiliate. "Everybody out there loves a new beer coming out. If you're not getting this, you'll have to start drinking your brother-in-law’s home brew if you want something new."
Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Donald Trump's threats to declare national emergency is "his big diversion."
Per CNN, Pelosi told reporters: "I think that would be his purpose. Well, I guess his purpose is to build a wall. But remember this about the wall. This isn’t a wall between Mexico and the United States, this is a wall between his failures of his administration, problems that may happen with (Robert) Mueller, his cabinet in dismay and disgrace. That’s the wall he’s trying to build between public opinion and what is going on. And so, this is his big diversion. And he’s a master at diversion.”
The record-breaking partial shutdown is leaving government websites vulnerable to hackers. Some of these websites include official sites for NASA, the Department of Justice and the Court of Appeals.
The shutdown resulted in security certificates for government websites not being renewed. Digital certificates guarantee that communications between devices and the websites are encrypted. When issues, the certificates have an expiration date lasting between a few months or several years.
Netcraft, an internet services website, reported more than 80 security certificates used by .gov websites have expired. One of those websites belongs to the Department of Justice, which is still using a security certificate expired in the week before the start of the shutdown and has not been renewed since.
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