US Senate rejects 2 bills to reopen government

There seems to be no end in sight for the partial government shutdown in the US, with the Senate failing to pass two funding bills which would have reopened the government.

The partial government shutdown has been in place from December 22 due to an impasse between the Congress and US President Donald Trump over funding for a wall on the US' border with Mexico.

Around 800,000 federal workers have been without pay ever since the partial government shutdown started last year, leading to repeated calls by elected representatives to open the government.

While one of the rejected bills included funding for the wall, the other one did not, reports Sputnik. Both of the bills, on Thursday, fell short of the 60 votes needed for passage.

Trump has repeatedly called for the wall to be constructed, claiming that there cannot be safety and security without it. The Democrats, on the other hand, are against the wall being constructed, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi calling it a wastage of money and an "immorality".