US lawmakers introduce Bill to fund government, prevent shutdown

Washington: US lawmakers have introduced a bipartisan spending and security bill to prevent a second government shutdown days before the Friday midnight deadline. Representative Nita Lowey (Democrat, New York), Chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee, filed the 1,159-page bill on late Wednesday night that will keep money in federal coffers until the end of the fiscal year on September 30, the Washington Post reported. The bill included $1.375 billion for physical barriers along the US-Mexico border, about one-fifth of the amount President Donald Trump asked for. Democrats repeatedly said they won’t allocate him that money.

The first shutdown, that began on December 22 and ended on January 25, was the longest administrative closure in US history. “We cannot repeat the disastrous government shutdown, so it is incumbent on Congress to come together to responsibly fund our government. This legislation represents a bipartisan compromise and will keep our government open while funding key priorities,” Lowey said.

The bill, if approved by the Senate, which was expected to vote on it on early Thursday, and then if agreed to by the House and, finally, if signed by Trump, would prevent a second shutdown from occurring. Trump has not said explicitly that he will sign the bill, though Republican lawmakers said they were optimistic he’ll back it. “My impression is he’s likely to sign it,” said Senator John Cornyn. A Congressional Democratic aide said the funding bill would only allow the administration to use “existing technologies” for fencing and barriers. (IANS)

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