WASHINGTON: The US Senate failed on Friday to end the government shutdown after rejecting a Republican funding proposal for a vote in the chamber, extending the US government shutdown into next week at the earliest, the Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported.
Funding for federal agencies has been halted since last Wednesday, undermining a wide range of public services due to the deadlock in Congress. The Republican proposal did not receive enough Democratic votes to pass the divided chamber.
On the third day of the government shutdown, President Donald Trump intensified pressure on Democrats to end the shutdown and approve the Republican plan that would restore funding. However, this pressure failed after the Senate voted 54-44, falling short of the 60 votes required in the Senate.
Meanwhile, the US administration froze US$2.1 billion in transportation funding for Chicago on Friday, depriving another Democratic-aligned city of funds. The administration also froze at least US$28 billion in funding for Democratic-aligned cities and states.
The ongoing government shutdown means the suspension of operations for many federal agencies and the freezing of salaries for thousands of government employees who have been forced to take unpaid leave. – BERNAMA-QNA
