Partial US government shutdown following Senate vote

The US Senate voted late Friday against a House-passed bill for funding government until Feb. 16, causing a partial government shutdown. The vote was 49 to 50. President Donald Trump and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer had failed to negotiate a compromise on the Democrats’ insistence on linking the budget bill to a law for regularizing the status of the “Dreamers.” This group consists of immigrants who entered the US illegally as children and now face deportation. The Senate is due to meet again to approve a provisional procedure to enable government to function. The shutdown covers most administration departments, including the military and intelligence agencies as well as social benefits. The controversy is complicated by the disputes in both parties on spending. Schumer said he had made concessions to break the stalemate by offering to consider Trump’s’ southern border wall, which Democrats have thus far rejected out of hand.
The US government was last shuttered in 2013 when Republicans rejected Barack Obama’s health care program. It was non-functioning for 13 days.