Kamala Harris seeks ends to shutdown, reopening of federal government
Washington, Jan 25 : First Indian-origin Senator Kamala Harris, who recently announced her presidential bid for 2020, has sought an end to the unprecedented government shutdown and asked for earliest reopening of the federal government.
The Democratic Party leader from California said that the senate will vote on a clean bill to fund the government.
"It's been 34 days since the government shutdown. The Senate will vote on a clean bill today (Thursday) to fund the government that we unanimously approved one month ago. Let's get this done. 800,000 federal workers are counting on us," Harris said in a tweet.
Trump wants to build a US-Mexico border wall and is seeking a whopping USD 5.7 billion in funding for the physical barrier which according to him is a must to prevent flow of illegal immigrants into the US.
The Democrats assert that such a move is a "waste" of taxpayers money.
The partial shutdown has impacted the country hard with more than 800,000 federal government workers out of work across the key departments.
Three days after announcing her presidential bid, Harris, 54, said that there are FBI employees currently furloughed.
"There are DHS employees working unpaid & stretching their hours. It's the height of hypocrisy to suggest that a border wall is about securing our nation. If you want our nation secure, you'd pay the folks whose job it is to do that," she asserted.
Harris officially launched her campaign for the US presidential election in 2020 to take on President Donald Trump on Monday, saying she was "honoured" to announce her bid on a day when Americans celebrated Martin Luther King Jr who sought inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi.
The first of the straw poll that that came after she announced her candidature, Harris has emerged on top of the list of nearly 10 current or prospective Democratic presidential candidates.
According to a report in the Washington Post published Thursday, she was the most searched candidate on the internet after she went public with her bid.
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West Asia crisis: MEA establishes control room to assist Indians
New Delhi (PTI): The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has set up a control room to assist those affected by the escalating crisis in West Asia.
The MEA has said almost one crore Indian citizens live in West Asia and their safety and well-being is of "utmost priority" for New Delhi.
As the Iran-US conflict widened, the Indian embassy in Iran moved hundreds of Indian students from the Iranian capital of Tehran to safer locations.
"A Control Room has been set up in the Ministry of External Affairs in view of the current situation in West Asia and the Gulf region," the MEA said on Wednesday.
"The Control Room can be contacted from 9 am to 9 pm at: 1800118797 (Toll Free) +91 11 2301 2113, +91 11 2301 4104, +91 11 2301 7905," it added.
The US launched military strikes on Iran on February 28, killing Iranian Supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
Following the military offensive, Iran has carried out a wave of attacks mainly targeting Israel and American military bases in several Gulf countries, including the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
The MEA on Tuesday noted that almost one crore Indian citizens live and work in the Gulf region, and their "safety and well-being is of utmost priority."
"We cannot be impervious to any development that negatively affects them," it said.
The MEA said New Delhi will continue to closely monitor the evolving situation and take relevant decisions in the national interest, adding it is in touch with the governments in the region as well as other key partners.
A Special Control Room has been set up in the Ministry of External Affairs in view of the current situation in West Asia and the Gulf region. Details are as below ⬇️
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) March 4, 2026
🔗 https://t.co/nK3d6SY9Pa pic.twitter.com/v2EhUI5B1x
