US government at risk of shutdown over Mexico border wall

The issue of where to find money to build a wall on the border with Mexico is at the heart of the discussion over the US Congress' budget spending bill.

President Donald Trump in his office at the White House - Photo: AP

The Congressional budget spending agreement with the US government will expire at midnight on April 28, while US officials do not yet know how Mr. Trump plans to build a wall on the border with Mexico.

According to the Guardian (UK), in just 5 days, the US Congress's agreement to approve the government's budget will expire. This week, both the White House and Congress must urgently discuss to reach a new spending plan if they do not want the government to shut down after this deadline.

As of April 23, US time, even White House officials did not have certain information about whether President Donald Trump would sign a new budget draft that did not include funding for the construction of a wall on the border with Mexico.

The plan to build a wall on the US-Mexico border to prevent illegal immigration and crime is a key commitment in Mr. Trump's election platform, which he raised from the first day of the campaign.

"We don't know anything yet," White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Mick Mulvaney said on Fox News on April 23.

During budget discussions on April 23, President Trump raised two major issues that needed to be addressed: "The ObamaCare insurance policy is in serious trouble. Democrats need a large sum of money to continue to maintain that policy, otherwise it will die sooner than people think."

"Democrats don't want to spend money on a wall on the border even though it will help stop drug trafficking and the very bad gang MS-13," he added.

Mr Trump also said he would accuse members of the Democratic Party of condoning international crime.

Although he still maintains the view that he will "make Mexico pay" to build a wall on the border, in his words, Mr. Trump somewhat toned down the intensity when he said: "Ultimately, Mexico will have to pay, in some form, for the construction of this much-needed border wall, but at a later date so that we can start this sooner."

However, Mr. Trump did not specify the plan or time schedule for this.

The issue of funding for the construction of a wall on the US-Mexico border, according to The Hill news site, will be at the center of budget discussions in Congress this week.

If a spending deal is not reached, funding for government operations will expire at midnight on April 28, which is also Trump’s 100th day in office, meaning the government will shut down.

Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly told CNN's State of the Union that he did not think the president would insist on funding for the border wall.

Although Republicans control both Congress and the White House, members of the party in border states disagree with building a wall, arguing that it is a costly solution with limited effectiveness.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party strongly opposed the plan, saying it was reckless and ineffective. According to an internal report, the wall is expected to cost about $21 billion.

According to TTO