US President Donald Trump has spoken of a “major victory” ahead of the end of the budget freeze.
US President Donald Trump has spoken of a “major victory” ahead of the end of a weeks-long budget freeze. “Congratulations to you and John and everyone on this great victory,” Trump said Tuesday (local time) at a Veterans Day event addressed to House Republican Leader Mike Johnson and Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune.
The “shutdown” should never have happened, Trump continued. Trump later said he assumed that after the Senate on Monday, the House of Representatives would also approve a temporary budget – House approval is still pending. They can vote on the interim budget starting Wednesday. Trump’s signature is still missing.
Senators from Trump’s party, Republicans and Democrats, made the first breakthrough on Sunday toward ending the government shutdown, which could safeguard government spending through the end of January. On Monday, the Senate voted overwhelmingly on the interim budget. However, the compromise was controversial among Democrats.
Shutdown for more than a month
This “closure” has been in effect since October 1. This is the longest budget closure in US history. At the heart of the debate is health care. Democrats are calling for more money for those in need whose health insurance will be threatened by the end of the year. However, Republicans insist that they will only negotiate a subsidy extension once the budget freeze ends.
Hundreds of thousands of federal government employees are no longer being paid due to the budget freeze. Many government services have been canceled or reduced. For example, food aid for those in need has expired: the Snap program, on which some 42 million people in the US depend, is suspended.
There have also been significant disruptions to air traffic in recent days, increasing political pressure to end the budget freeze.
