The party’s leaders and the Trump administration are not close to a deal to break the stalemate. Congress is set to convene Thursday, but many members will not return to Washington after holiday travel as a vote on a spending bill is not expected yet.
If the closure carries into the new Congress, Democrats will have a wide enough House majority to approve funding legislation on their own. Any spending bill will need support from at least some Senate Republicans, as the GOP will hold a 53-47 majority in the chamber next year.
But if Trump continues to threaten to veto any bill without wall funding, it will make ending the shutdown difficult.
Congress can override a presidential veto, but it requires a two-thirds majority in both chambers. That equals 290 representatives and 67 senators. As of now, Democrats will have 235 members in the new House, meaning they would have to bring 55 Republicans on board to override a veto.
A bipartisan compromise seems difficult to mount. As Trump insists on border wall funding, many GOP lawmakers will not want to go against his wishes. Democrats will have a hard time striking a compromise that includes border security money, as the party’s more liberal wing will resist any effort to let Trump have his way on immigration.
About 800,000 federal employees were expected to face furloughs or temporarily work without pay during the partial shutdown. While lawmakers already passed spending bills for departments such as Defense and Health and Human Services, others such as Homeland Security, Justice and State remain unfunded.
from Viral News Reports http://bit.ly/2SiIDdz
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