United States House to vote on shutdown

Washington (AFP) — The United States Congress has teed up a Tuesday vote on a spending bill to end the government shutdown, following a House committee vote late Monday.

The shutdown followed a breakdown in spending negotiations amid Democratic anger in response to federal immigration agents killing two US citizens in Minneapolis, which derailed talks over new money for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Late Friday, the Senate had passed a package clearing five outstanding funding bills to cover most federal agencies through September, along with a two-week stopgap measure to keep DHS operating while lawmakers negotiate immigration enforcement policy.

Shutdowns temporarily freeze funding for non-essential federal operations, forcing agencies to halt services, place workers on unpaid leave or require them to work without pay.

On Monday evening, the House Rules Committee voted to move the Senate package forward for a full House vote, which is expected Tuesday.

Trump has been pressuring Republicans to swiftly adopt a spending bill to end the shutdown, even as some have voiced their disdain for the deal that opens the door to modest reforms on immigration agents.

In a Truth Social post earlier Monday, Trump said “there can be NO CHANGES at this time” to the legislation and called for its immediate passage.

“We will work together in good faith to address the issues that have been raised, but we cannot have another long, pointless, and destructive Shutdown that will hurt our Country so badly,” the Republican president said in a reference to a record 43-day stoppage last summer.