drag on

Political scientist and human rights activist Ketakandriana Rafitoson told the AFP news agency the demonstrations risked dragging on and intensifying if authorities rely on force to suppress dissent instead of prioritising accountability.

The Senate has since adjourned, raising fears that the shutdown could drag on and threaten hundreds of thousands of jobs as well as risk costing the US economy billions in lost output.

But what seemed like an open-and-shut case dragged on for nearly a decade.

There could also be travel delays if the stand-off drags on and unpaid workers stop showing up, and a prolonged shutdown could also have secondary impacts on the US economy.

But then, as the courtroom battle dragged on, the department's own trafficking officials effectively confirmed that they would not expect the man to do that.