Unlike previous shutdowns, including a 16-day one during Barack Obama’s presidency, the latest has been actively willed by the president. Mr Trump tweeted last year that Washington needed “a good shutdown” to clear the air. At several points, Mr Trump and Democratic legislators have struck a deal to keep government open only for Mr Trump to renege shortly afterwards. Now, having allowed federal departments to shutter, Mr Trump is goading Democrats to keep it that way. “Democrats are holding our Military (sic) hostage over their desire to have unchecked illegal immigration,” he tweeted on Saturday.
Mr Trump’s line included three contentious points. First, most of the US military is exempt from the shutdown. Second, the Democrats want to protect the 800,000 “Dreamers” — children of illegal immigrants — from deportation rather than open the floodgates to new arrivals. Mr Trump himself has insisted that “we should take care” of the Dreamers. More than once he has said: “I love these kids”. Third, Republicans control both houses of Congress and the White House. Although they fall short of the 60-seat Senate threshold required to pass spending bills, this is America’s first shutdown when one party has controlled all branches of government.
