Government shutdown looms as President Trump confuses his own party

Thursday, January 18, 2018  

The federal government, including the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Indian Health Service, is getting closer to a shutdown.

Lawmakers from both parties have been unable to reach a deal to keep federal agencies up and running. But President Donald Trump has further confused the situation by questioning Republican strategies.

“We don’t have a reliable partner at the White House to negotiate with,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) said on Thursday morning, The Washington Post reported, after Trump undermined GOP efforts with a tweet about the popular Children’s Health Insurance Program.

“This has turned into an s-show for no good reason, and the only way out of this thing is to grow up a little bit — and I think that’s going to happen,” Graham said, according to the paper.

We fully expect the government to continue operations however in the event of a shut down #publiclands will be as accessible as safely possible under the law. https://t.co/GkOQFJGeKN

— Secretary Ryan Zinke (@SecretaryZinke) January 18, 2018

Without a funding deal, the BIA, the IHS and other federal agencies will close at midnight on Friday. Most non-essential employees will have to stay home, although IHS facilities, during a 2013 shutdown, were able to offer certain services because they deal with the "safety of human life."

"We fully expect the government to continue operations however in the event of a shut down #publiclands will be as accessible as safely possible under the law," Secretary Ryan Zinke of the Department of the Interior said in a post on Twitter on Thursday.

Read More on the Story:
Trump tweets create confusion for Republicans trying to avert government shutdown (The Washington Post January 18, 2018)
Trump Upsets Republican Strategy to Avoid Shutdown (The New York Times January 18, 2018)
After a year of historic natural disasters, what would happen to FEMA if the government shuts down? (The Washington Post January 18, 2018)
Trump officials weigh keeping national parks open even if government shuts down (The Washington Post January 17, 2018)