A government shut down occurs in the US when Congress and the US President fail to reach an agreement on legislation. Donald Trump’s administration enforced a partial government shutdown at midnight on December 22 over his demands for more funding to build a wall on the border of Mexico. The shutdown was initially meant to last until Christmas Day, which meant Mr Trump cancelled his plans to spend Christmas in Florida.
Mr Trump said the shut down could last “a long time” during a cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
He added he wouldn’t accept anything less than $2.5 billion for his plans for the border wall.
The US President argued more federal dollars are spent in Afghanistan in a month than for the wall.
He said: “I mean, we spend in Afghanistan more in one month than what we’re talking about for the wall. Think of that, okay. That’s another way.
“The 5.6 billion is such a small number. Literally, it’s one month in Afghanistan and we’re talking about national security.
“This isn’t just a border. This is national security. This is health and wellness. This is everything.”
What are the longest US government shutdowns in history?
Thursday, January 3 will mark the 13th day of the shutdown, which will make it the fourth longest in US history.
The longest ever shutdown was 21 days under previous President Bill Clinton and took place between December 16, 1995 and January 5, 1996.
During Jimmy Carter’s era, there was a shutdown lasting 17 days, beginning on October 1, 1978 and ending on October 17, 1978.
This was his second shutdown, after his first was shorter at 12 days in 1977.
The government then shutdown again under Mr Carter’s administration in 1979.
Trump predecessor Barack Obama had a 16 day shutdown between October 1, 2013 and October 16, 2013.