McConnell Attempts <br />to Avoid a Government Shutdown The Republican Senate Majority <br />Leader introduced a temporary <br />funding bill to keep the government <br />open through February. Current funding for the <br />government is set to expire <br />on Friday at midnight. Senate Minority leader <br />Chuck Schumer said the bill <br />has the backing of Senate Democrats. The bill does not <br />include funding for President <br />Donald Trump's border wall. The cost of the wall <br />is estimated at $5 billion. Should the bill introduced by <br />McConnell pass both the Senate <br />and House, it is unclear if <br />the president will sign it. One quarter of <br />government agencies <br />are at risk of a shutdown. The agencies <br />include the <br />Department of <br />Homeland Security, Within these agencies, more <br />than 400,000 employees <br />considered essential would <br />be required to report to work. During a government shutdown, <br />those employees would <br />not earn a paycheck.
