Politics: The government shutdown could ruin Trump and Congress' trip to the elite gathering in Davos

The government shutdown has imperiled a trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos for a bipartisan group of lawmakers next week.

• A bipartisan group of lawmakers were slated to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. But the government shutdown has put that on hold unless a deal can be reached.
• Multiple Democratic lawmakers have already canceled their plans to attend the annual summit.
• President Donald Trump is taking his planned trip to Davos on a "day-by-day basis."

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WASHINGTON — A trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland for a bipartisan group of lawmakers next week is in peril after the Senate failed to reach a deal to fund the government by midnight Saturday, resulting in a partial government shutdown.

Several members of Congress slated to attend the annual meeting of the world's elites have placed their trips on standby, hoping Congress can reach a deal before the event kicks off on Tuesday.

Both House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows are set to cancel the trip as the shutdown continues, their offices told Business Insider.

Democratic Rep. Peter Welch of Vermont is not planning to attend "as of right now," his chief of staff Bob Rogan told Business Insider.

Virginia Rep. Don Beyer, who previously served as the US ambassador to Switzerland and Lichtenstein during the Obama administration, is waiting to see what happens over the next few days, but the situation looks grim.

"As of now we just don’t know. He has a different connection to Davos and WEF than other Reps because of his past experience as Ambassador, and I think he still wants to go," Beyer's spokesman said in an email. "It just doesn’t seem likely to us that he will be there, given the current situation."

New York Rep. Joe Crowley, who chairs the House Democratic Caucus, already canceled his plans to attend the summit earlier in the week. Rep. Kathleen Rice, also from New York, canceled the trip on Friday ahead of the impending shutdown, her office confirmed.

The World Economic Forum draws top politicians and business leaders from around the globe. This year's event will feature speeches from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Theresa May, and others.

President Donald Trump was also scheduled to attend, meet with world leaders and deliver a big speech, but the administration has since backed off on the certainty of the trip.

"We're taking Davos, from the president's perspective and the Cabinet's perspective, on a day-by-day basis," Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney told reporters on Saturday.

Whether the president, his cabinet, and members of Congress get to attend the World Economic Forum is up in the air, while Congress works on hammering out any potential deal to fund the government this coming week.

source http://www.pulse.ng/bi/politics/politics-the-government-shutdown-could-ruin-trump-and-congress-trip-to-the-elite-gathering-in-davos-id7871216.html