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US House Passes Bill to Reopen Treasury, Federal Tax Agency Amid Shutdown

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The US House of Representatives passed and sent to the Senate a bill to reopen the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Treasury Department amid a partial government shutdown that has been ongoing since December 22 due to disputes over the funding of a border wall.
Sputnik

The House voted 240-188 to pass the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act on Wednesday. Only 8 Republicans voted in favour of the legislation.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Trump administration said it would veto each spending bill the House passes because they fail to address the border security needs the administration is requesting. Senate Republican leaders have backed Trump, so are likely to reject the House bill.

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US President Donald Trump is requesting $5.7 billion for the construction of a wall on the US border with Mexico. Democrats, who control the US House, have vowed to block any bill that includes the amount of money Trump is requesting to construct the border wall.

On December 22, the US government shut down after Democrats refused to include the funding Trump had requested.

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