Government shutdown ties for longest ever amid border wall fight

The partial U.S. government shutdown entered its 21st day Friday, tying the record for longest lapse in federal funding.

The dubious distinction comes on the same day hundreds of thousands of U.S. workers start to miss paychecks. About 800,000 federal employees are either furloughed or temporarily working without pay as the closure persists.

Lawmakers have failed to fund nine departments, or about a quarter of the government, as President Donald Trump demands more than $5 billion to fund his proposed border wall. The president has threatened to veto legislation passed by the Democratic-held House to reopen the government temporarily, which has deterred the GOP-controlled Senate from passing it.

The longest previous shutdown lasted three weeks during December 1995 and January 1996. It followed a budget spat between President Bill Clinton and House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

As it affects about a quarter of the government, the current shutdown disrupts fewer people than some previous funding lapses such as the 1995 closure. During other previous shutdowns, particularly in the 1970s, workers did not face furloughs.

Still, it could drag on much longer.

Talks to reopen the government crumbled this week. Trump cancelled his planned trip to the World Economic Forum in Switzerland later this month, signifying the closure could last for weeks more.

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