US shutdown: Government on verge of first closure in four years as deadline to pass Senate bill looms

The US Senate is scrambling to avert a government shutdown as it races to pass a budget bill, with both parties squabbling and no agreement in sight.

With the bill on the verge of collapse, the likelihood of the first shutdown since October 2013 is looking increasingly likely.

President Donald Trump has postponed a trip to his Florida golf club this weekend until the legislation is passed in Congress.

He and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer have held eleventh-hour talks to try to reach a deal, which must be made before midnight to avert shutdown.

The discussions came with Washington locked in a stalemate over politically fraught legislation to protect about 700,000 "dreamer" immigrants from being deported.

As both parties pointed the finger of blame, Mr Schumer said as he entered his office on Friday: “They’re in charge. They're not talking to us. They're totally paralysed and inept. There's no one to negotiate with."

Mr Trump also entered the fray, mentioning the House-approved bill on Twitter, adding: "Democrats are needed if it is to pass in the Senate - but they want illegal immigration and weak borders. Shutdown coming? We need more Republican victories in 2018!"

Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, said he hoped to vote on the House-passed bill soon, and added that Americans at home would be watching to see "which senators make the patriotic decision" and which "vote to shove aside veterans, military families and vulnerable children to hold the entire country hostage... until we pass an immigration bill."

The House of Representatives voted 230-197 on Thursday night for a budget bill to extend funding until mid-February.

Congress has been struggling for months to agree on long-term government funding levels but has been sidetracked by the dispute on immigration.

The federal government is operating on a third temporary funding measure since the new fiscal year began in October.

Republicans narrowly control the Senate but with Senator John McCain undergoing cancer treatment at home in Arizona, they will need at least 10 Democrats to reach the 60 votes required to pass a spending bill.