Analysis: Shutdown saga offers lesson in divided government
WASHINGTON (AP) — When you want results in a polarized Washington, sometimes it pays to simply leave the professionals alone to do their jobs.
That seems to especially be the case now in an era in which liberal House Democrats are sharing power in Washington with a GOP-led Senate and President Donald Trump.
The Latest: House passes border bill, sends to Trump’s desk
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on Congress' border security measure and President Donald Trump (all times local):
8:55 p.m.
Hard-fought legislation that gives President Donald Trump 55 additional miles of fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border — well short of what he requested — is on the way to his desk after a bipartisan House vote.
On immigration, Mideast and more, Kushner keeps pushing
WASHINGTON (AP) — The ink wasn't dry on a border security compromise before Jared Kushner had moved on to another enormous challenge.
The Latest: Budget deal calls for far less border wall money
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on government negotiations over border security (all times local):
9:40 p.m.
Three people familiar with Congress' tentative border security deal tell The Associated Press that the accord would provide $1.375 billion to build 55 miles of new border barriers.
That's well below the $5.7 billion President Donald Trump demanded to build over 200 miles of wall along the Mexican boundary. The money will be for vertical steel slats called bollards, not a solid wall.
The Latest: Georgia’s Abrams contrasts Dems in SOTU response
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump's State of the Union address (all times local):
11 p.m.
Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacy Abrams is declaring that the recent partial federal government shutdown was "a stunt engineered by the president of the United States."
Democrats tapped the former Georgia House minority leader deliver their party's response to President Donald Trump's State of the Union address on Tuesday night.
Correction: Government Shutdown-Second Jobs story
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — In a story Jan. 16 about government workers taking on odd jobs during the government shutdown, The Associated Press erroneously described the work of Cheryl Inzunza Blum. She represents immigrants in criminal matters in federal court, not in immigration court.
WH: Trump will call for optimism, unity at SOTU

The Latest: Lawmakers open talks on border security
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump, Congress and border security (all times local):
2:15 p.m.
House-Senate bargainers trying to craft a border security compromise have opened their first formal meeting. But Wednesday's session is unlikely to produce anything beyond lawmakers' opening statements.
Analysis: Shutdown 2.0? Trump has reasons to avoid a repeat
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump learned over the past month a valuable Washington lesson that old-timers like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell learned long ago: Shutdowns never work.
Analysis: Pelosi wins initial bout of divided government
WASHINGTON (AP) — In the year's first test of divided government, give round one to Nancy Pelosi. And it wasn't really competitive.
Conservatives say Trump caved, but confident he’ll get wall
WASHINGTON (AP) — No retreat, no surrender is how President Donald Trump frames his decision to temporarily reopen the government while still pursuing a border wall deal.
Some of his conservative backers have a different take: "pathetic" and "wimp."
Other Trump supporters seem willing to give Trump the benefit of the doubt, yet they insist that any ultimate government funding deal the president signs must include money for a wall.
The shutdown today: Workers to get paid ‘in the coming days’
What's up now that the partial government shutdown ended after 35 days:
WHAT'S NEW
Park rangers were once again greeting visitors at some national parks across the United States and flight operations at major airports were returning to normal on Saturday, one day after a partial government shutdown came to an end.
Smaller government? Some Trump supporters cheer the shutdown
FORT HANCOCK, Texas (AP) — Donald Trump didn't carry many parts of Texas' heavily Democratic areas along the border with Mexico, but he won remote Hudspeth County thanks to people like Terry Rose. And the 71-year-old mechanic saw the longest shutdown in U.S. history as a campaign promise kept.
How Congress got Trump to climb down, end shutdown _ for now
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump was feeling the heat.
Week after week, Trump had demanded that the government stay partially shuttered until Democrats agreed to pay for his wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Surrounded by a shrinking cast of advisers, he watched as federal workers went unpaid and basic services were frozen. His poll numbers were slipping. His arguments were landing with a thud with the public.
In a Trump retreat, shutdown ends without wall money for now
WASHINGTON (AP) — The record 35-day federal shutdown has ended with President Donald Trump giving in to mounting pressure and signing legislation to reopen the government for three weeks, a retreat from his demand that Congress commit billions to a U.S.-Mexico border wall before federal agencies could resume work.
- The Washington TimesCongress passes $333 billion spending bill to avert government shutdownFebruary 15, 2019
- The Washington TimesDemocrats signal openness to border barriers as second government shutdown loomsFebruary 7, 2019
- Norfolk Daily NewsFort Report Column: State of the UnionJanuary 29, 2019
- The Washington TimesInside the Beltway: Whoops: Pelosi approval ratings drop during shutdownJanuary 29, 2019
Longest shutdown over: Trump signs bill to reopen government
WASHINGTON (AP) — Submitting to mounting pressure amid growing disruption, President Donald Trump signed a bill Friday to reopen the government for three weeks, backing down from his demand that Congress give him money for his border wall before federal agencies get back to work.
The Latest: Government employees are asked to return to work
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the partial government shutdown (all times local):
9:40 p.m.
Hundreds of thousands of federal employees are being asked to return to work and "reopen offices in a prompt and orderly manner" following the end of a 35-day government shutdown.
The Office of Management and Budget sent a memo late Friday to the heads of shuttered departments and agencies after President Donald Trump signed a bill that temporarily reopens the federal government for three weeks.
Democrats, Sununu spar over help for federal workers
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Democrats urged Republican Gov. Chris Sununu to take immediate action Friday to help workers affected by the government shutdown, but the governor said the state already is providing some of the aid they demanded.
The exchange came several hours before President Donald Trump agreed Friday to fund the government through Feb. 15 while negotiations continue on his demand for a wall at the border with Mexico.
Trump aides struggle to show some shutdown empathy
NEW YORK (AP) — One White House aide mused that the shutdown was like a paid vacation for some furloughed workers. President Donald Trump's daughter-in-law said employees' "little bit of pain" was worth it for the good of the country. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross questioned why cash-poor workers were using food banks instead of taking out loans.
The president himself says workers simply need to "make adjustments."
The Latest: Pelosi rejects ‘big down payment’ for Trump wall
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump, Congress and the partial government shutdown (all times local):
5:55 p.m.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is rejecting the idea of providing "some big down payment" for President Donald Trump's border wall as part of a solution to the partial government shutdown.
Pelosi on Thursday spoke after Trump suggested a "reasonable" installment on such a barrier might be a way to solve the impasse. She suggested the idea was not a serious one.
Senate rejects rival plans for ending shutdown; talks start
WASHINGTON (AP) — A splintered Senate swatted down competing Democratic and Republican plans for ending the 34-day partial government shutdown on Thursday, but the twin setbacks prompted a burst of bipartisan talks aimed at temporarily halting the longest-ever closure of federal agencies and the damage it's inflicting around the country.
Colorado senator rips Cruz’s ‘crocodile tears’ over shutdown
WASHINGTON (AP) — Signs of strain from the 34-day partial government shutdown are emerging on the Senate floor.
Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado tore into Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas on Thursday after Cruz backed a GOP bill to pay Coast Guard members but not reopen the government.
The normally mild-mannered Bennet erupted in a fiery speech, saying, "These crocodile tears that the senator from Texas is crying for first responders are too hard for me to take."
Out of touch? Trump aides struggle with shutdown empathy
NEW YORK (AP) — One White House aide mused that the shutdown was like a paid vacation for some furloughed workers. President Donald Trump's daughter-in-law said employees' "little bit of pain" was worth it for the good of the country. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross questioned why cash-poor workers were using food banks instead of taking out loans.
The president himself says workers simply need to "make adjustments."
Trump: ‘Alternatives’ if Congress won’t fund wall

Trump’s shutdown gift to Pelosi: A unified Democratic caucus
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has done something remarkable in the government shutdown: He's unified the diverse new House Democratic majority firmly behind Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Ending showdown with Pelosi, Trump postpones State of Union
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said he is postponing his State of the Union address until the partial government shutdown ends, yielding after a weeklong showdown with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Pelosi: Glad SOTU issue has been ‘put to rest’

Dems prepare own border security package shunning Trump wall
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democrats, feeling pressure to display their vision for border security, are preparing a package that would ignore President Donald Trump's demand for $5.7 billion for a wall with Mexico and would instead pay for other ideas aimed at protecting the border.
The Latest: Trump says he’ll give address once shutdown ends
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump's State of the Union address (all times local):
11:30 p.m.
President Donald Trump says he is postponing his State of the Union address until after "the Shutdown is over," following a standoff with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Trump says in a pair of tweets Wednesday night that he's not looking for an alternative venue "because there is no venue that can compete with the history, tradition and importance of the House Chamber."
The Latest: Some recalled IRS workers can stay off the job
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the partial government shutdown (all times local):
3 p.m.
Several hundred of the 46,000 furloughed IRS employees recalled to work last week have gotten permission to stay off the job because of financial hardship.
Nearly 60 percent of the IRS workforce was called back, without pay, during the partial government shutdown so they could handle tax returns and send out refunds.
Trump wants to deliver State of Union next week as planned
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is moving forward with plans for President Donald Trump to deliver his State of the Union speech next week in front of a joint session of Congress — despite a letter from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi requesting he delay it.
White House noncommittal on Senate shutdown bill

Florida Senators blame Pelosi for shutdown

Senate sets up showdown votes on shutdown plans
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate leaders on Tuesday agreed to hold votes this week on dueling proposals to reopen shuttered federal agencies, forcing a political reckoning for senators grappling with the longest shutdown in U.S. history: Side with President Donald Trump or vote to temporarily end the shutdown and keep negotiating.
The Latest: Senate to push forward with 2 shutdown votes
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump and the partial government shutdown (all times local):
8:45 p.m.
Senate leaders have agreed to hold votes on dueling proposals to reopen shuttered federal agencies this week.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has set up the two showdown votes for Thursday, a day before some 800,000 federal workers are due to miss a second paycheck.
Some fear federal safety net is unraveling for those in need
WASHINGTON (AP) — Doris Cochran, a disabled mother of two young boys, is stockpiling canned foods these days, filling her shelves with noodle soup, green beans, peaches and pears — anything that can last for months or even years. Her pantry looks as though she's preparing for a winter storm. But she's just trying to make sure her family won't go hungry if her food stamps run out.
For those like Cochran who rely on federal aid programs, the social safety net no longer feels so safe.
Trump’s shutdown solution hangs in limbo
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's proposal to break through the budget deadlock appeared to be gaining little traction Monday, as another missed paycheck loomed for hundreds of thousands of workers and the partial federal shutdown stretched into its fifth week.
The Latest: Shutdown proposal unlikely to break logjam
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the partial government shutdown (all times local):
9:15 p.m.
Democrats and Republicans appear no closer to ending the dispute that led to a partial government shutdown 30 days ago.
On Sunday, President Donald Trump criticized House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for turning down his offer of a compromise, saying she is acting "irrationally."
At 30-day mark, shutdown logjam remains over border funding
WASHINGTON (AP) — Thirty days into the partial government shutdown, Democrats and Republicans appeared no closer to ending the impasse Sunday than when it began, with President Donald Trump lashing out at his opponents after they dismissed a plan he'd billed as a compromise.
Trump offers temporary ‘Dreamers’ deal for border wall
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a bid to break the shutdown stalemate, President Donald Trump on Saturday offered to extend temporary protections for young people brought to the U.S. illegally as children and those fleeing disaster zones in exchange for his long-promised border wall. But while Trump cast the move as a "common-sense compromise," Democrats were quick to dismiss it at a "non-starter."
The Latest: Trump offers ‘Dreamers’ deal for border wall
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the partial government shutdown (all times local):
9:10 p.m.
President Donald Trump on Saturday has offered to extend temporary protections for young people brought to the U.S. illegally as children and those fleeing disaster zones in exchange for his long-promised border wall. But while Trump cast the Saturday move as a "common-sense compromise," Democrats were quick to dismiss it at a "non-starter."
AP FACT CHECK: Trump on the wall, drugs, Russia, vets
WASHINGTON (AP) — It was a week of half-truths, changed stories and outright fabrications in President Donald Trump's Washington.
Trump assailed Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., for playing on the beach in Puerto Rico, though she never went. His vice president echoed Trump's declaration of victory against the Islamic State group despite a deadly suicide bombing for which the militants claimed responsibility. Trump overstated what he's done for veterans.
Trump plans to make ‘major announcement’ on shutdown, border
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said he'll be making a "major announcement" on the government shutdown and the southern border on Saturday afternoon as the standstill over his border wall continues into its fifth week. Democrats are now proposing hundreds of millions of dollars for new immigration judges and improvements to ports of entry from Mexico but nothing for the wall, a House aide said, as the party begins fleshing out its vision of improving border security.
The Latest: Democrats offer more money for border security
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the partial government shutdown (all times local):
11:50 p.m.
Democrats are adding hundreds of millions of dollars to improve ports of entry from Mexico and hire more immigration judges to a batch of spending bills the House will consider next week.
Travel industry fears damage from a long government shutdown
America's busiest airport, Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International, is a blur of activity on the best of days. But an extra layer of anxiety gripped the airport Friday, the eve of a three-day holiday weekend. The partial government shutdown — the longest ever — has thinned the ranks of federal workers who staff airport security lines. And some travelers had braced for the worst.
As shutdown drags on, ‘Coast Guard City’ takes a hit
NEW LONDON, Conn. (AP) — If the uniformed cadets milling about the local movie theaters and pizza joints didn't make it obvious enough, a banner hanging from a downtown parking garage makes it crystal clear: New London is an official Coast Guard City.
The pride is on display everywhere in this former whaling town of 27,000 people that, among other things, is home to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and U.S. Coast Guard Station New London, which patrols the Long Island Sound.
Congressman apologizes for yelling, ‘Go back to Puerto Rico’
ST. LOUIS (AP) — A Missouri congressman who yelled "go back to Puerto Rico" at Democrats during a heated House floor debate over the partial government shutdown has apologized to a colleague who perceived the comment as a racial slur directed at him.


