With the government at a standstill and the clock ticking, a potential government shutdown is imminent with no resolution in sight. With time running out to avert a partial shutdown, congressional leaders of both parties are disputing President Trump’s call for $5 billion in funding for a border wall and have remained at an impasse for weeks.
The impending shutdown has put Congress at odds with itself to come up with a compromise that will be satisfactory for both sides. President Trump has held firm to his demand for a wall spanning the entire border between the US and Mexico, which Democrats fiercely oppose. Democrats have instead proposed funding for the wall with no restrictions on where it can be built and instead are proposing a full package including measures to address the problems at the border.
The failure to come to a consensus has put the lives, jobs, and educational opportunities of millions of Americans in the balance. Workers without pay, national parks and monuments closing their doors, and multiple other services on the brink of halting has created a pressure cooker of panic among both constituents and government officials.
It remains unclear what shape the agreement to prevent a government shutdown will take. Despite the stakes, no sides seem willing to budge from their positions. The chaos and confusion that a government shut down would create has left Congress surely in a tense situation, yet no solution is in sight as the clock ticks down.