D.C. plans for partial shutdown of funding

Deadline is Dec. 22 unless border wall dispute is settled

WASHINGTON — The White House and a number of federal agencies have started advanced preparations for a partial government shutdown, as President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats appear unlikely to resolve their fight over a border wall before some government funding lapses at week’s end.

GOP leaders are scrambling to find a short-term alternative that could stave off a shutdown, which would start on Dec. 22 absent a deal. But White House officials signaled to lawmakers Friday that they would probably not support a one- or two-week stopgap measure. Some congressional Republicans support such a “continuing resolution,” but the White House rejection has dramatically increased the odds of a spending lapse.

Several budget experts believe a partial shutdown, which would impact agencies that manage law enforcement, homeland security, housing and other programs, could drag on for days, if not weeks. That is in part because Trump believes the final days of the existing Congress are his best chance to extract $5 billion in funds to partially build a wall along the Mexico border.

In early January, Democrats take control of the House of Representatives, giving them more control over the process.

Multiple agencies and senior administration officials are preparing for the possibility that about a quarter of the government — and more than one-third of federal workers — could be left without funding. Some view it as their last chance for the wall.

The agencies themselves are providing scant information about what they will do if their funding lapses, and with the deadline days away, mass confusion remains about what would actually happen in a partial government shutdown.

The Statue of Liberty, for example, closed to thousands of visitors during a brief government funding lapse in January. National parks across the country stayed open, though without visitor centers and fees and with only minimal emergency staff.

National Park Service officials confirmed Friday that parks would stay open this time — but wouldn’t say if the Statue of Liberty would close.