Ex-president George W Bush turns pizza delivery man to treat Secret Service amid US shutdown
The former president's Secret Service personnel have not been paid since the government shutdown began last month.
Saturday 19 January 2019 15:40, UK
Former US president George W Bush tried his hand at delivering pizza to treat unpaid Secret Service staff amid the ongoing government shutdown.
The Republican posted a picture of himself on social media bringing a stack of pizzas to his security detail, who have not received a paycheck since the partial government shutdown began last month.
Donald Trump has shown no sign of bringing the crisis to an end as he continues to clash with his Democrat opponents over funding for his proposed southern border wall, despite 800,000 federal employees having been off work since 22 December.
Those who have continued to work have not received their salary for doing so during what has become the longest shutdown in US history.
Mr Bush said in his Facebook and Instagram posts that he and wife Laura "are grateful to our Secret Service personnel and the thousands of federal employees who are working hard for our country without a paycheck".
He added: "And we thank our fellow citizens who are supporting them. It's time for leaders on both sides to put politics aside, come together, and end this shutdown."
The partial shutdown has sparked protests across the US, with it affecting a range of tourist attractions and government services from national parks to domestic violence shelters.
Even White House guests have been caught up in the disruption, with the president opting to serve up fast food hamburgers to players from College Football Playoff National Championship winners the Clemson Tigers due to a lack of chefs.