US lawmakers agree to delay government shutdown

WASHINGTON, Dec. 3, 2018 (Xinhua) -- The casket of late former U.S. President George H.W. Bush is carried to the entrance of the U.S. Capitol, where it will lie in state, in Washington D.C., the United States, on Dec. 3, 2018. George H.W. Bush, the 41st president of the United States, died on Nov. 30 at the age of 94.

Washington,   US Congressional leaders on Monday agreed to a two-week government funding measure that would push back a shutdown deadline to December 21.

Democrats and Republicans are deadlocked in negotiations over funding President Donald Trump’s proposed border wall and have been facing a December 7 deadline to reach a spending deal to avert a partial government shutdown, reports The Hill magazine.

Trump has demanded $5 billion for the wall, while congressional Democrats are unwilling to provide more than $1.6 billion for border security that’s included in a previous funding bill.

Following the death of former President George H.W. Bush, lawmakers postponed a series of votes for his memorials and funeral, leaving little time to hammer out an agreement.

The two-week stopgap measure, known as a continuing resolution, would extend current funding levels and make December 21 the new deadline for reaching a long-term spending deal.