Congress meets briefly, takes no steps to end shutdown

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Both chambers of the U.S. Congress convened for only a few minutes late on Thursday but took no steps to end a partial federal government shutdown before adjourning until next week.

Showing little sense of urgency over the shutdown, now in its sixth day, the Senate and the House of Representatives did nothing to restore funding for the roughly 20 percent of the government affected.

Nine federal departments, like State, Homeland Security, Transportation, Agriculture, and Justice started to partially shut down after funding for them ceased at midnight last Saturday.

Departments including the Defense, Veterans Affairs, Labor and Education are not affected, with fundings lasted to September 2019.

The shutdown was on track to continue into next week and possibly drag on well into January.

The shutdown was triggered by U.S. Republican President Donald Trump's demand, largely opposed by Democrats and some lawmakers within his own party, that U.S. taxpayers provide 5 billion dollars for a wall he wants to build along the U.S.-Mexico border.

The U.S. Capitol is seen in Washington, D.C., as the government continues in a partial shutdown, December 22, 2018. /VCG Photo

Trump wants the money to be included in spending measures that Congress must pass to restore funding to several government agencies, including the departments of Homeland Security, Justice, Agriculture and Commerce.

It was the third shutdown of the year. The previous two were brief.

“The president has made clear that any bill to fund the government must adequately fund border security,” White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said in a statement that made no mention of Trump's proposed wall.

The stock market has had a rollercoaster ride in the face of the current shutdown, foreshadowing a gloomy picture of the U.S. economy in 2019.

The shutdown has had only a limited impact so far, partly due to holiday vacations being underway for the 800,000 or so federal workers affected, though that could change soon.

(With inputs from agencies)

(Top image: A sign announcing the closure of the National Archives due to a partial government shutdown is displayed in Washington, D.C., U.S., December 27, 2018. /VCG Photo)