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Trump to make 'major announcement' about shutdown

As the partial shutdown enters its fifth week

Afp January 19, 2019 Less than a minute read

In an attempt to pressure Congress, US President Donald Trump has refused to authorize funding for swaths of the government, leaving some 800,000 federal employees and many more government contractors without pay for nearly a month. PHOTO: AFP

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump will make a "major announcement" on Saturday about the long-running US government shutdown and the situation on the country's southern border.

The partial shutdown - which began when Trump refused to sign off on budget legislation that did not include funding for his planned border wall - enters its fifth week on Saturday.

"I will be making a major announcement concerning the Humanitarian Crisis on our Southern Border, and the Shutdown, tomorrow afternoon at 3 PM, live from the @WhiteHouse," Trump tweeted without providing further details.

Trump to meet lawmakers at White House as shutdown enters 25th day

Trump has mulled declaring a state of emergency on the southern border in a bid to secure funding for the wall without congressional approval - a move that would almost certainly lead to a challenge in the courts.

The shutdown - the longest in US history - has paralysed Washington and resulted in 800,000 federal employees being furloughed or working without pay.