The US Congress ended today the administrative partial closure that federal agencies have been facing for three days, after failing to reach a budget agreement before midnight last Friday, coinciding with the first anniversary of Donald Trump in the White House.
Trump signed with his signature the proposal approved by Congress at 9.00 pm local time (02.00 GMT on Tuesday), which provided funds to the Government for its reopening after 69 hours of partial administrative closure.
Lawmakers in both houses voted to reopen the federal government and extend the funds until February 8, as well as to provide funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for six years.
The partial closure of the administration came into effect at midnight on Friday after the majority of Democratic senators and a handful of Republicans blocked a bill for temporary spending approved by the House of Representatives that would have lasted until the 16th. February
Those who opposed then asked to link their support to Trump and the Republicans agreed to regularize undocumented youth known as “dreamers”, after the president put an end to the program with which former President Barack Obama protected these immigrants from deportation , known as DACA.
The billionaire put March 5 as the expiration date of the program and urged Congress to seek before then a final solution.
However, last week the bipartisan negotiations on the immigration agreement were blown up by pressure from the ultraconservative wing of the Republican Party, despite the fact that the bill drafted by the six negotiating senators – three Democrats and three Republicans – met the requirements of the White House.
Despite agreeing to end the shutdown, the Democrats have vowed not to vote in favor of a spending measure on February 8 unless there is an agreement on how to guarantee the protection of the “dreamers” who arrived To USA. when they were kids.
The cession of Democrats in the Senate came after the leader of the Republican majority in the Upper House, Mitch McConnell, promised to allow an immigration bill to be put to the vote next month.
The leader of the Senate Democratic minority, Charles Schumer, said today that McConnell has pledged that, if there is no immigration agreement before February 8, “the Senate will proceed immediately to the consideration of the legislation” on “dreamers.” ”
Trump celebrated the agreement reached in the Senate to reopen the federal Administration in the next hours, but warned that it will only reach an agreement on immigration with Congress if what the legislators propose “is good for the country.”
“I am pleased that the Democrats in Congress have regained consciousness and are now willing to finance our large army, border patrol, emergency services and health insurance for vulnerable children,” Trump said in a statement read by his spokeswoman, Sarah Huckabee. Sanders, at a press conference.
On the negotiations over the next few weeks, the Republicans demand that the Democrats include in the new budget agreement funds for the construction of the border wall in Mexico, one of the controversial electoral promises of Trump.
For their part, Democrats, in addition to the path to citizenship for “dreamers” also demand that budgets address issues critical to them, such as the opioid crisis that plagues the country.
Until Trump does not sign the provisional funds, hundreds of thousands of federal workers will remain suspended from employment and salary.
However, the short duration of the closure, as well as the fact that most of its duration occurred during a weekend, means that its effects will be relatively minimal compared to the 16-day closure that took place in 2013.
