Viet Nam News WASHINGTON — An intensifying spending standoff sent US lawmakers scrambling Monday to avert a partial government shutdown, with Republican and Democratic leaders deadlocked over President Donald Trump’s demands for border wall funding. As Washington barreled toward a shuttering of key federal agencies in just four days, the White House appeared dug in on Trump’s call for Congress to budget US$5 billion in 2019 to fund a wall on the US-Mexico border that he insists will check illegal immigration. If no breakthrough is reached, the shutdown would occur over the Christmas holiday - when most lawmakers flee the US Capitol - leaving Washington red-faced at the end of the year. The closure could potentially spill into early January, when the new Congress - including a Democratically-controlled House of Representatives - is sworn in. Lawmakers involved in funding negotiations suggested the first move would have to come from Trump’s team. … [Read more...] about Washington careens toward government shutdown with no deal in sight