Donald Trump to mark one-year inauguration anniversary with glitzy Mar-a-Lago gala as Congress moves to avert government shutdown

President Donald Trump is set to celebrate his one-year inauguration anniversary at a glitzy gala at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida where tickets start at $100,000 a pair.

On Saturday, the President will mark his first 12 months in office and in typical Trump style will celebrate with a lavish party.

According to his schedule, the President and First Lady Melania will depart Washington for Florida on Friday night and spend the weekend at the resort.

But the celebration could be beset by a Government shutdown as the President and Republican leaders in Congress raced to meet a Friday deadline to pass a short-term spending bill to keep agencies from shutting down.

The Saturday night gala is being hosted by Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel and gambling magnate Steve Wynn.

Bloomberg reported that tickets include the cost of dinner and a photo with President Trump.

For an additional $250,000 the guests at the event can also take part in a roundtable discussion.

Some festivities have already begun at the resort despite the frenzy in Washington to prevent government offices from grinding to a halt.

During government shutdowns, employees in all three branches of government are vulnerable temporary unpaid leave.

Other "essential" workers, including those dealing with public safety and national security, continue working, some with and others without pay.

Without the injection of new money, no matter how temporary, scores of federal agencies across the United States will be forced to shut starting at midnight Friday when existing funds expire.

Legislation to prevent it encountered obstacles in the Senate late on Thursday, despite the passage of a month-long funding bill by the House of Representatives hours earlier.

The Republican-controlled House approved funding through Febuary 16 but the mix of Democrats and Republicans in the Senate who oppose the House bill for varying reasons left the legislation on the verge of defeat.

A bitter fight broke out on the Senate floor shortly after the House passage and was expected to continue on Friday.

What happens during a U.S. government shutdown?

During shutdowns, employees in all three branches of government are vulnerable to furlough (temporary unpaid leave). Workers deemed essential, such as those in public safety and national security, continue working, some unpaid. During previous shutdowns employees received retroactive pay. The last was in October 2013 lasted more than two weeks and more than 800,000 federal employees were furloughed.

What happened?

• National parks closed, resulting in a loss of 750,000 daily visitors. Popular tourist destinations such as the Smithsonian closed, with barricades going up at the Lincoln Memorial, the Library of Congress and the National Archives.

• About $4 billion in tax refunds were delayed.

• Air and rail travellers did not feel a big impact because security officers and air traffic controllers remained at work. Passport processing continued with some delays.

• Federal courts, including the Supreme Court, remained open.

• Six Head Start programs serving about 6,300 children shut for nine days before reopening with money provided by philanthropists.

• Social Security and disability checks were issued with no change in payment dates and field offices remained open but offered limited services. There were delays in the review process for new applicants.

• All military personnel continued on normal duty status but about half of the Defense Department's 800,000 civilian employees were placed on unpaid leave.

Democrats demanded an immigration measure be added to the funding bill to protect a large group of young, undocumented immigrants, known as "Dreamers."

Trump has meanwhile continued to push to build a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico that many lawmakers do not want as part of any immigration deal.