The United States Embassy in Jamaica has announced that the American Citizens Services Town Hall, scheduled for Friday in Montego Bay, St James, has been cancelled. According to the US Embassy, in a social media post on Thursday, the cancellation is due to a lapse in appropriation. This follows the US federal government shutdown on Wednesday after Republican and Democratic lawmakers failed to resolve a budget dispute that hinged on Democratic demands for health care funding. Republicans — who control the legislature and the White House but need Democratic votes on government funding bills — have announced no plans to address the issue. READ: US government shutdown seen dragging into next week