According to recent coverage, leaders in Congress have managed to temporarily hold off a potential government shutdown by 14 days. Lawmakers now have until December 21, 2018, to avoid the closedown of the government.
A Close Look at the Current State of Congress
The current postponement in Congress is formally referred to as a stopgap plan. Under the stopgap measure, Congress members are granted two weeks of additional government funding. The current two-week extension also applies to subsidies for the National Flood Insurance Program.
The recent death of 41st President George H.W. Bush also serves as a likely factor which contributed to the emergence of the stopgap plan. In order to honor the former commander-in-chief, Congress members decided to hold off on voting until after his funeral and memorial services.
Acrimony Within Congress
At this time, one of the most pressing issues of conflict in Congress is President Trump’s insistence on garnering funding to build his border wall along the Southern border. Throughout his 2016 presidential campaign, the president vowed to end illegal immigration once and for all by constructing an impenetrable wall at the nation’s Southern border. However, Congressional Democrats are not at all eager to fork over the $5 billion dollars which the Trump White House has requested.
