The US Senate fails to pass a bill to end the government shutdown for the 12th time

The US Senate failed on Thursday to pass a Republican-sponsored bill aimed at ending the ongoing US government shutdown, failing to secure the 60 votes necessary for its passage.

This continues to paralyze several government institutions due to the lack of federal funding, as Congress fails to reach an agreement on the general budget for the new fiscal year.

US House Speaker Mike Johnson had previously stated that the current shutdown was the second-longest in the country’s history, blaming Democrats for the continuing crisis.

For his part, US President Donald Trump announced last Saturday that the partial shutdown would remain in place, asserting that the Republican Party completely refuses to pay $1.5 trillion to cover expenses related to undocumented immigrants.

Trump said in a statement issued by the White House press office: “We’ll not pay $1.5 trillion to illegal immigrants who are pouring into our country from prisons and from countries like Venezuela and others… We won’t accept that, and that is why the government shutdown will continue”.

This shutdown comes after Congress failed to pass a budget bill before the start of the new fiscal year on October 1, leading to the suspension of operations of several government agencies and bodies directly funded by Congress.

A government shutdown in the United States is defined as a partial or complete cessation of government activity due to a lack of funding or failure to pass a budget.

This crisis recurs from time to time due to partisan disagreements over public spending and social programs.

Trump has previously hinted that he may use the shutdown to restructure some government departments and implement widespread layoffs, noting that the crisis represents an opportunity to cancel programs that don’t enjoy Republican support.