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Reuters
WASHINGTON
Republicans and Democrats appeared to harden their positions on Sunday as both sides hunkered down for what could be a prolonged fight, with a US government shutdown in its second day.
Democrats demanded that US President Donald Trump negotiate on immigration issues as part of any agreement to resume government funding and accused him of reneging on an earlier accord to protect"Dreamers,"illegal immigrants brought to the United States as children.
"I hope it is just a matter of hours or days. But we need to have a substantive answer, and the only person who can lead us to that is President Trump. This is his shutdown,"Dick Durbin, the second ranking Democrat in the Senate, said on the CBS"Face the Nation"program.
Republicans were just as adamant, saying they would not negotiate immigration or other issues as long as all but essential government services remain shuttered.
Speaking to US troops at a military base in the Middle East, Vice President Mike Pence said,"We're not going to reopen negotiations on illegal immigration until they reopen the government and give you, our soldiers and your families, the benefits and wages you've earned."
After funding for federal agencies ran out at midnight on Friday, many US government employees were told to stay home or in some cases work without pay until new funding is approved. The shutdown is the first since a 16-day closure in October 2013.
With elections set for November for a third of US Senate seats and the entire House of Representatives, both sides are maneuvering to blame the other for the shutdown.
Trump, who canceled a planned trip to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida that included a major fundraiser on the anniversary of his first year as president, said on Sunday that if the stalemate continued, Republicans should change Senate rules so a measure could be passed to fund the government.
Current Senate rules require a super-majority of three-fifths of the chamber, usually 60 out of 100, for legislation to clear procedural hurdles and pass.
"The Dems (Democrats) just want illegal immigrants to pour into our nation unchecked. If stalemate continues, Republicans should go to 51 percent (Nuclear Option) and vote on real, long term budget,"Trump said on Twitter.
But a senior member of Trump's own Republican party rejected the idea.
Senator Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said he and his colleagues oppose changing the chamber's rules so that a simple majority could advance legislation to fund the government and to end the current shutdown, according to a spokesman.
Republicans hold a slim 51-49 majority in the Senate.
On Capitol Hill, Senator John Thune, a junior member of the Republican leadership, said there was"no progress to report"in negotiations but that McConnell's office was open for business and for talks with Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer.
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22/01/2018
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