US Senate members have failed to strike a deal to end the government shutdown, pushing the deadline back by 11 hours.
After hours of deliberations, Democratic and Republican senators failed to reach a federal funding deal to end the government shutdown that started Friday. The vote, initially planned for 1am Monday, has been postponed until noon.
“It would be my intention to proceed to legislation that would address DACA, border security and related issues. It is also my intention to take up legislation on increased defense spending, disaster relief and other important matters,” Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on the Senate floor.
At midnight, Friday, the federal government ground to a halt. Lawmakers, however, continued discussions on the Senate floor which have so far produced no results. Republicans and Democrats continue to disagree on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
DACA allows undocumented immigrants, the so-called 'Dreamers' who were brought to America as children to remain in the country. Democrats want the GOP to continue supporting the "Dreamers." Republicans, however, maintain the DACA demand is tantamount to holding the budget debate hostage, and believe the issue is irrelevant in the current context. Other issues dealing with immigration also contributed to the stalemate.