The US Senate on Wednesday night approved an emergency short-term spending bill that averts a looming government shutdown, but excludes the US$5 billion that US President Donald Trump sought for a US-Mexico border wall.
US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the measure would fund normal government operations at present levels through Feb. 8 — bringing Washington a step closer to avoiding a potentially crippling closure of some federal offices over the Christmas holiday.
The bill, which cleared the Senate by voice vote, would need to pass the US House of Representatives and be signed by Trump before midnight today, when funding is set to expire for key agencies, such as the US Department of Homeland Security.
Republican and Democratic leaders gave strong signals that the stopgap bill, known as a continuing resolution, would pass US Congress and land on the president’s desk.
“It’s good that our Republican colleagues in the Senate finally realized that they should not shut down the government over a wall that does not have enough support to pass the House or Senate and is not supported by a majority of the country,” US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said upon the bill clearing the Senate.
White House aides told US media that Trump is inclined to sign the measure, but it is seen as a defeat for the president, who had argued strenuously for new funding for a wall that he insists would check illegal immigration.
Trump essentially abandoned his position from last week, when he told Democrats he would be “proud” to shutter government over border security.
The six-week deal would temporarily break an impasse over spending and border security, as Democrats and Republicans continue to clash over immigration.
It comes a day after Democratic leaders rejected a longer-term Republican offer that would have increased border security.
Once Democrats take control of the House next month, they would be loathe to greenlight more money to the president for his wall.
Trump has fumed about Democrats not giving in, and on Wednesday he ranted about it again.
“In our Country, so much money has been poured down the drain, for so many years, but when it comes to Border Security and the Military, the Democrats fight to the death,” he tweeted. “We won on the Military, which is being completely rebuilt. One way or the other, we will win on the Wall!”
McConnell’s pragmatic move belied his irritation over what he called “Democrats’ allergy to sensible immigration policies.”
“It seems like political spite for the president may be winning out over sensible policy,” he said.
Some conservatives complained about McConnell’s maneuver, including US Senator Ted Cruz, who lamented the bill’s passage.
“This is a missed opportunity to deliver on the promises made to the American people,” he said.
An endangered baby pygmy hippopotamus that shot to social media stardom in Thailand has become a lucrative source of income for her home zoo, quadrupling its ticket sales, the institution said Thursday. Moo Deng, whose name in Thai means “bouncy pork,” has drawn tens of thousands of visitors to Khao Kheow Open Zoo this month. The two-month-old pygmy hippo went viral on TikTok and Instagram for her cheeky antics, inspiring merchandise, memes and even craft tutorials on how to make crocheted or cake-based Moo Dengs at home. A zoo spokesperson said that ticket sales from the start of September to Wednesday reached almost
‘BARBAROUS ACTS’: The captain of the fishing vessel said that people in checkered clothes beat them with iron bars and that he fell unconscious for about an hour Ten Vietnamese fishers were violently robbed in the South China Sea, state media reported yesterday, with an official saying the attackers came from Chinese-flagged vessels. The men were reportedly beaten with iron bars and robbed of thousands of dollars of fish and equipment on Sunday off the Paracel Islands (Xisha Islands, 西沙群島), which Taiwan claims, as do Vietnam, China, Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines. Vietnamese media did not identify the nationalities of the attackers, but Phung Ba Vuong, an official in central Quang Ngai province, told reporters: “They were Chinese, [the boats had] Chinese flags.” Four of the 10-man Vietnamese crew were rushed
CHINESE ICBM: The missile landed near the EEZ of French Polynesia, much to the surprise and concern of the president, who sent a letter of protest to Beijing Fijian President Ratu Wiliame Katonivere called for “respect for our region” and a stop to missile tests in the Pacific Ocean, after China launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). In a speech to the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday, Katonivere recalled the Pacific Ocean’s history as a nuclear weapons testing ground, and noted Wednesday’s rare launch by China of an ICBM. “There was a unilateral test firing of a ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean. We urge respect for our region and call for cessation of such action,” he said. The ICBM, carrying a dummy warhead, was launched by the
As violence between Israel and Hezbollah escalates, Iran is walking a tightrope by supporting Hezbollah without being dragged into a full-blown conflict and playing into its enemy’s hands. With a focus on easing its isolation and reviving its battered economy, Iran is aware that war could complicate efforts to secure relief from crippling sanctions. Cross-border fire between Israel and Hezbollah, sparked by Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7 last year, has intensified, especially after last week’s sabotage on Hezbollah’s communications that killed 39 people. Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon followed, killing hundreds. Hezbollah retaliated with rocket barrages. Despite the surge in
RSS