US Democrats vote to reopen government sans wall funds

The move may add to stalemate between the lawmakers and Trump due to the threat of a veto from the White House

The House Democrats, on their first day in office, voted on a legislative package to reopen the government, rejecting US President Donald Trump's call for additional funding to build a wall on their border with Mexico.

Along with the legislative package, the House of Representatives also voted on the stopgap spending bill for the Department of Homeland Security - without allocating additional funds for the wall - during their first day in the House. Five Republicans joined the Democrats in passing the bill 239-192.

The House of Representatives' move may add to the stalemate between lawmakers and Trump. Earlier on Thursday, Vice President Mike Pence had reiterated, "if there's no wall, there's no deal".

The new House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, on the other hand, slammed Trump's wall proposal as a "waste of money" and "immorality". With no relief in sight, the partial government shutdown marked its 13th day on Thursday.

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