White House reverses Trump claim firings have begun amid gov’t shutdown

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The White House has dialled backmost US President Donald Trump’s assertion that national workers were already being fired amid the ongoing United States authorities shutdown.

The backtrack connected Monday came arsenic the government shutdown stretched into its sixth day, with Republicans and Democrats failing to scope a breakthrough to walk a fund that would money an array of authorities agencies and services.

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Democrats person taken a hard enactment successful the negotiations, seeking to undo healthcare cuts successful taxation authorities precocious passed by Republicans.

Both parties person blamed the different for the impasse, portion the Trump medication has taken the atypical measurement of threatening to fire, not conscionable furlough, immoderate of the estimated 750,000 national workers affected by the shutdown.

On Sunday, Trump appeared to suggest that those layoffs were “taking spot close now”. He blamed Democrats for the firings.

But connected Monday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Trump was referring to the “hundreds of thousands of national workers who person been furloughed”, not yet fired, amid the shutdown.

Still, she added, “the Office of Management and Budget is continuing to enactment with agencies connected who, unfortunately, is going to person to beryllium laid disconnected if this shutdown continues”.

As salaries for hundreds of thousands of nationalist assemblage employees were acceptable to beryllium withheld starting Friday, lawmakers indicated determination had been small progress.

In the US Senate, different acceptable of long-shot votes to money the authorities were scheduled for precocious Monday.

Meanwhile, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson told members of his enactment not to travel to Congress unless the Democrats springiness way. He told reporters connected Monday they should halt asking him astir negotiations, saying it was up to the opposing enactment to “stop the madness”.

“There’s thing for america to negotiate. The House has done its job,” Johnson said, referring to a backing measure passed by the enclosure that has proved a non-starter successful the Senate.

Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, meanwhile, continued to represent Republicans arsenic derelict.

“House Republicans deliberation protecting the healthcare of mundane Americans is little important than their vacation,” helium said. “We powerfully disagree.”

With Republicans controlling the White House and holding flimsy majorities successful some the House and the Senate, the backing measure is 1 of Democrats’ fewer points of leverage. In the Senate, Republicans clasp 53 seats, but request 60 votes to walk the legislation.

They are utilizing the presumption to propulsion for the reversal of a taxation instrumentality passed earlier this twelvemonth that strips 11 cardinal Americans of healthcare coverage, chiefly done cuts to the Medicaid programme for low-income families, according to estimates from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

Democrats person said different 4 cardinal US citizens volition suffer healthcare adjacent twelvemonth if Affordable Care Act wellness security subsidies are not extended, with different 24 cardinal Americans seeing their premiums double.

Since the shutdown began connected October 1, respective services person been suspended arsenic bureau backing has tally out. Others look a backing cliff. That includes the $8bn Special Supplemental Nutrition Programme for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), which could tally retired of backing to supply vouchers to bargain babe look and different essentials to low-income families wrong 2 weeks.

Federal workers deemed “essential” person remained connected the job, but look moving without wage until a solution is reached. Military unit could statesman missing their paycheques aft mid-October, advocacy groups person warned.

The agencies deed hardest by furloughs see the Environmental Protection Agency, the abstraction bureau NASA , and the Education, Commerce and Labor departments.

On Monday, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the authorities has seen “a flimsy tick up successful sick calls” from aerial postulation controllers successful definite areas since the shutdown began. That could pb to disruptions successful aerial travel, helium said.

“Then you’ll spot delays that travel from that,” helium said. “If we person further sick calls, we volition trim the travel accordant with a complaint that’s harmless for the American people.”

The US Transportation Department has besides said that funds from a US authorities programme that subsidises commercialized aerial work to agrarian airports were besides acceptable to expire arsenic soon arsenic Sunday.

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