Govt shutdown threat ebbs as Trump relents on wall funding

Washington

DONALD Trump and US lawmakers inched closer to a deal on Tuesday avoiding a government shutdown, as the president, eager to showcase a win marking his first 100 days, retreated from a demand to fund a border wall.

With the government set to exhaust its current funding at midnight on Friday, the White House is under the gun to craft a compromise that would keep the government running while not appearing to cave in on Mr Trump's demand that Congress fund the wall on the border with Mexico.