Government shutdown could occur over Mexico wall disputes

Cristian Juarez, Reporter

The U.S.  government is on the brink of another shut down due to the conflict of the Republicans and Democrats. The reason for this is the funding over the border set to expire on Friday, December 7th.

 In order to build the wall on the U.S-Mexican border, President Trump wants to fund five billion dollars. As part of an agreement to sign a package of the remaining funding bills yet to be signed and approved. Trump quotes, “There is a possible shutdown if we don’t get the wall.”  This is part of an agreement to sign a package of the remaining funding to be signed into a law for the next year. 

 As Republicans support Trump’s aggressive push for funding the Democrats have yet to support it but in order to get the wall, they need a 60 vote threshold for the Senate to pass it.

In order to get the funding, they need support from the Democrats to propose it to the Senate. To pass it they need a 60-vote threshold, which is complicating any funding negotiations. The Democrats have rejected the proposal to extend the five billion in border funding.  Rep. Nita Lowey, The top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee has commented that no matter how many years it spreads over, the five billion is wasteful.

She also said, “ House of Democrats will continue to stand firm in opposition to the border will boondoggle and, while we are willing to negotiate on how best  to secure our border, we will never support wasting tax dollars on a wall designed to gin up the Republican base.” On Thursday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called on Trump to propose a $1.6 billion border security instead of the five billion figure Trump and House of Republicans support.

Schumer also commented, “ It’s just what we’ve done in previous years — funding for fencing on the border where experts say it makes the most sense. It would protect our border far more effectively and far more quickly than any wall.”

Steve Scalise the House Majority Whip, predicted that Democrats would still be blamed for the shutdown, though Trump has repeatedly threatened to shut down the government over wall funding. A shutdown would be the second one of the year, following a three-day partial government shutdown last January over the status of dreamers, the hundreds of thousands of young undocumented immigrants known as Dreamers.

If the shutdown happens it will impact thousands of people and slow down key government functions while it wouldn’t affect government functions and employees would continue to work.