The partial government shutdown continued into its fifth day Wednesday, and with negotiations stalled, Republicans and Democrats reportedly fear it could continue until mid-January. As more than 400,000 federal employees returned to work without pay, and 380,000 remained furloughed, Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) said Wednesday that President Trump still remains "firm" in his demand for $5 billion in border wall funding. When asked Wednesday how long the shutdown will last, Trump said, "Whatever it takes. We're going to have a wall. We're going to have safety." The Senate will be in session Thursday, but there aren't any votes scheduled that would re-open the government; the House will not meet Thursday.

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