United States: How long will the Government Shutdown last?

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The Government Shutdown seems a discussion that goes for long because neither Trump nor Pelosi manage to reach an agreement

It's official:  Trump's government shutdown is the longest in United States history since he's about to complete the month. From December 22, Trump demands the approval of a budget of more than 5 million dollars for the construction of the border wall that he promised in the middle of his presidential campaign.

Leer en español: Estados Unidos: ¿Hasta cuándo durará el cierre de Gobierno?

However, the request came at a wrong time, because the majority of the House of Representatives is part of the Democratic Party, the opposition party that questions every claim of the president. Also, the House is led by Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat with experience in the position and who has put obstacles in the few dialogues that have taken place.

As a result, thousands of Americans have had to suffer the consequences of the Government Shutdown. Without a doubt, those affected are those who work for the federal sector (National Security, Transport, Tourism, among others), who since December do not receive their salary.

They don't want to give in

Despite the need for a prompt solution neither Donald Trump nor Nancy Pelosi wants to give in. On repeated occasions, Trump has stressed that "the government will last closed whatever has to last," as CNN recalls. Thus, it has raffled several situations to achieve its objective and focus attention on the consequences of the shutdown. As a result of this, a particular episode happened this week.

When inviting several athletes to the White House, instead of giving a dinner full of delicacies, the guests had to settle for hundreds of hamburgers, and fast food was waiting on the table. "I decided to buy a thousand hamburgers and pay them out of my pocket. We do not have chefs ", was the explanation given by the president in front of the university team Tigers de Clemson, winners of the national university degree, as explained by Granma.

On the other hand, Pelosi and through a press conference ratified his position again away from Trump. "I do not want a wall, I do not want a wall, I do not want a wall," the president of the House repeated. According to Telemundo, Pelosi went on to say that more resources are needed "at the ports of entry along the border to prevent the arrival of large quantities of drugs and illegal immigration, instead of financing a wall."

Pelosi also asked the president to open the government as soon as possible, as the crisis deepens insecurity in the country. Also, he mentioned that "Trump's closure undermines our security. We are not paying the people who keep us safe, including agents of the TSA (Transportation Security Administration), FBI agents and immigration officials who patrol the border (…) It may be that for the president it is okay not to pay the officials, but for me, it is not", sentenced Pelosi.

Faced with the statements of Pelosi, Trump again reiterated the need to build the wall due to the different caravans of migrants heading to the country. Not without saying before that the Democratic Party "was kidnapped by the radical left led by Pelosi," as Telemundo recalls.

Besides, President Trump ordered the cancellation of Pelosi's trip on his tour of countries such as Afghanistan and Brussels. Through a letter, published by Sarah Sanders, spokesperson for the White House, Trump said that due to the closure of the Government "his trip has been postponed. We will reprogram this seven-day trip when the government closes. Considering the 800,000 employees who are not receiving pay, I am sure you will agree with me that postponing this public relations event is entirely appropriate. I also feel that, during this period, it would be better if you were in Washington negotiating with me and joining the movement for Strong Border Security to end the closure of the government. "

Also read: Nancy Pelosi: Empty house for the Democrat?

The consequences

Due to the friction between Pelosi and Trump, the effects are not only political. According to Standard & Poor's Global Ratings, the government's closure costs USD 1.2 billion per week to the US economy. Besides, and as El Clarín indicates, if the shutdown is extended, the GDP could be reduced, and the economic expansion could also be affected. The situation that does not benefit the country, because, in addition to the above, growth will be affected by "the slowdown in global expansion, the trade war with China and the effects of tax cuts to Americans that begins to fade," ends the same medium.

Although still, it is not very clear what will happen to the situation in the United States, what is certain is that it is the Americans who suffer. Well, even though Trump made the call to return to their jobs without getting paid, those affected have to manage to live while the shutdown continues.

LatinAmerican Post | Laura Viviana Guevara Muñoz

Translated from "Estados Unidos: ¿Hasta cuándo durará el cierre de Gobierno?"