WASHINGTON, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Congress will delay the government shutdown deadline by about two weeks after the death of former President George H. W. Bush, U.S. media reported Monday.
Lawmakers are likely to approve a two-week, "stopgap" spending plan that would push the government shutdown deadline to Dec. 21, the Fox News cited sources as saying. The Congress originally set a Dec. 7 deadline to pass a new spending package or risk a partial government shutdown.
The prospect of a partial government shutdown was raised by disagreements among lawmakers over President Donald Trump's proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall, for which Trump has demanded 5 billion U.S. dollars.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said last week that Democrats are willing to agree to a 1.6-billion-dollar budget to bolster border security instead of building a physical wall, and that's about a third of what Trump had demanded. Republicans currently hold 51 seats in the Senate and need nine Democratic votes to pass a spending bill.
Schumer said it depends on the president whether a funding lapse can be avoided. "Make no mistake: The president is the only person who holds the ultimate responsibility for a government shutdown," Schumer said Thursday.
Trump was expected to meet with Schumer and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, respectively, on Tuesday to discuss the issue, and they have also delayed their talks until next week after Bush's death, CNBC quoted democratic aides as saying.
The U.S. Congress already passed spending bills for five government agencies for the next fiscal year, and it still needs to decide on the funding for seven more agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security. The government has briefly shut down twice this year due to lawmakers' discrepancy on immigration issues.
