US GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN FEARS
Battle moves to Senate
US lawmakers move to tighten terms of Iran nuclear deal
A last-ditch battle to avert a looming US government shutdown moved to the Senate yesterday, where Democrats angered by the collapse of immigration talks have vowed to block a stop-gap funding bill.
With the federal government set to run out of money Friday at midnight -- the eve of the one-year anniversary of President Donald Trump's inauguration -- the bill cleared the House with a 230-197 vote.
But prospects appeared gloomy in the Senate, where Democrats eager for leverage on budget and immigration deals were intent on shooting it down.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, said that if agreement is not reached by Friday night, there should be an even shorter-term funding measure of a few days that would "give the president a few days to come to the table."
Mitch McConnell, the Senate Republican Majority Leader, said the House bill provides for four weeks of funding, enough to allow talks to continue "without throwing the government into disarray for no reason."
House Speaker Paul Ryan called on Schumer to avoid a government shutdown, saying: "It is risky. It is reckless. And it is wrong."
In the event the funding dries up, federal employees for agencies considered non-essential are ordered to stay home until a budget deal is struck, at which point they are paid retroactively.
The most recent shutdowns -- in 1995, 1996 and 2013 -- saw about 800,000 workers furloughed per day.
Meanwhile, a bill was introduced in the US House of Representatives on Thursday aimed at tightening the terms of the Iran nuclear deal, despite Tehran's rejection of changes to the accord.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized the agreement aimed at curbing Tehran's nuclear program, which was agreed under his predecessor Barack Obama's administration.
The "Iran Freedom Policy and Sanctions Act" was introduced by Peter Roskam and backed by Liz Cheney, two Republicans in the US House of Representatives.
The proposed legislation "makes clear what any effective agreement would have to contain," Cheney said in a statement.
A parallel bill aimed at toughening the nuclear deal is under consideration in the Senate.
The other parties to the deal -- Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the European Union -- have all said it is working and that Iran is complying fully with its commitments.