Government Shutdown: 5 Things To Know

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A partial government shutdown took effect at midnight on Friday as lawmakers failed to reach a deal to keep several federal agencies funded. Earlier in the day, President Donald Trump threatened that "there will be a shutdown that will last for a very long time" if Senate Democrats don't vote for a spending bill with funds earmarked for a border wall.

On Thursday, Trump informed House Republicans he would not sign a stopgap funding bill that had passed in the Senate. A bill passed in the House of Representatives later on Thursday included $5 billion in funding for the border wall but it was unlikely to pass in the Senate. When both the House and the Senate adjourned for the day on Friday, it was clear that a shutdown was eminent.

Trump was tweeting non-stop about getting the spending bill passed Friday morning. He called on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to "fight for the Wall and Border Security as hard as he has fought for anything." Trump, who said he would be "proud" to shut down the government also tried to shift blame for the shutdown to Democrats. He also suggested that McConnell should change Senate rules so the spending bill could be passed without any Democratic votes. McConnell has previously resisted the rule change and a spokesman for the majority leader reiterated his opposition.

McConnell urged approval of the bill passed by the House saying it is neithger "radical" nor difficult to explain.

Here's five things to know about the government shutdown that comes just a few days before Christmas:

• About 800,000 federal workers could be furloughed or would have to work without pay, according to a report prepared by Democrats on the Senate Appropriations Committee.
• At issue over the current shutdown fight is funding for nine of 15 Cabinet-level departments and dozens of agencies, including the departments of Homeland Security, Transportation, Interior, Agriculture, State and Justice, as well as national parks and forests.
• Airports will continue to function during the busy holiday travel season as Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees and Customs and Border Patrol agents are among those employees who will have to work without pay. Federal law enforcement agents and correctional officers also continue to work without pay.
• The U.S. Postal Service, busy delivering packages for the holiday season, would not be affected by any government shutdown because it's an independent agency.
• The report prepared by Democratic Senators on the appropriations committee also lays out what specific groups the shutdown would affect. You can read more about that here.

Reporting and writing from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Photo by Jose Luis Magana/Associated Press