A Democratic retired federal worker denounced her party on Monday for refusing to reopen the government as the shutdown entered its fourth week.
The shutdown commenced on Oct. 1 after Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer rallied nearly all Senate Democrats to block a bipartisan continuing resolution. The caller said on “Washington Journal” that the party needed to end the shutdown, particularly as Americans are set to lose food assistance on Nov. 1.
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“I hear people talking about ‘the president needs to get involved’ and ‘the Democrats are saying this,’ ‘the Republicans are saying this.’ This is the truth: The Democrats, and I’m a Democrat, are the ones that actually, in the Senate side, shut down the government,” the caller said. “They did not vote for a continuing resolution except for three of them. One is the senator of Pennsylvania, [John] Fetterman, and all.”
“So they have to get together and stop holding Americans hostage. We’re about to have people without food come, what, November 1st, which is the end of this week. And that’s ridiculous,” she added. “It is not worth it. Plus, the health care companies have already said you’re way past the deadline for them to change their costs that they’re going to give out to the public for the health care. So November 1st is open season.”
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which distributes food aid to more than 40 million Americans, will lose funding on Nov. 1 without congressional action. Dozens of states have warned they will halt benefits by that date if the shutdown persists.
The caller urged Democrats to negotiate a solution with Republicans, even saying the party’s strategy was increasing President Donald Trump’s power.
“So they need to get together. I know they keep on saying the president needs to come back, but the power of the purse is with the Congress, not the president,” she said. “You all talk about this president being a king, but if you want him to solve this problem, you’re making him a king. This has got to stop in America.”
“I want the Democrats to fight, but I want them to fight in a negotiating way like I did when I was a union president versus sitting up here constantly bickering and the Republicans bickering,” she continued. “This has got to stop. And America has got to stop accepting it.”
Senate Democrats have repeatedly blocked every Republican endeavor to terminate the shutdown, with Schumer leading his caucus in filibusters. They have made clear they will not back any funding deal that excludes an extension of Obamacare subsidies and other Democratic priorities.
However, Fetterman asserted on the latest edition of Fox News’ “Saturday in America” that he wished his Democratic colleagues would vote to open up the government before discussing an extension of the expiring subsidies.
“I do fundamentally believe [Senate Majority] Leader [John] Thune is an honorable guy and I do believe we could have a sincere conversation after we can open it up,” Fetterman said.
“Let’s just open it up, and then we have our SNAP, we have everyone’s [sic] paid,” he added. “And then we can have that conversation and see if we can extend those tax credit deals because I do believe there are enough Republicans that would like to see that too.”
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