WASHINGTON: Democrats in the House of Representatives are planning a vote on Thursday on a funding package to end the 10-day-old partial U.S. government shutdown without providing the US$5 billion President Donald Trump has demanded for a U.S.-Mexico border wall.
The two-part package will include a bill to keep funding for the Department of Homeland Security at current levels through Feb. 8 with US$1.3 billion (1.02 billion pounds) for border security, as well as measures to fund other shuttered agencies through the Sept. 30 end of the current fiscal year, Democratic congressional aides said on Monday.
Democrats formally take control of the House from Trump’s fellow Republicans on Thursday after winning a majority of seats in November’s mid-term congressional elections. If approved in the House, the government funding package would go next to the Republican-led Senate, where its prospects appeared uncertain.
The Democratic legislation will mark the first major battle pitting the incoming Democratic House majority led by Nancy Pelosi against Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has said his chamber will not consider any legislation that Trump would not support.
Democrats oppose Trump’s demand for wall funding, with Pelosi calling the wall immoral, ineffective and expensive.
Democrats expect their two-pronged funding approach could put Trump and his Republican allies in a tough position. If they reject funding bills for departments unconnected to border security, Republicans could be seen to hold those agencies and their roughly 800,000 workers hostage to Trump’s wall demand.
