Top Dems Accuse GOP Of Causing Shutdown As They Vow To Vote Against Government Funding Bill

Top congressional Democrats are vowing to oppose a GOP spending bill that would temporarily fund the government through mid-November — ratcheting up the likelihood that Democrats will plunge the country into a partial government shutdown.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer issued a joint statement expressing their opposition just hours after House GOP leadership unveiled a stopgap spending bill Tuesday afternoon. The Democratic leaders accused Republicans of unveiling a partisan spending measure despite the legislation extending government funding at current levels for just seven weeks and providing for new security assistance for members of all three branches of government — funding most Democrats support.

“By refusing to work with Democrats, Republicans are steering our country straight toward a shutdown,” Jeffries and Schumer wrote in the statement. “President Trump called the play last week when he told Congressional Republicans to jam a partisan spending bill down the throats of the American people without Democratic support.”

“Instead of governing, Republicans are once again taking orders from Donald Trump, hurting the American people and recklessly marching our nation to the brink of a shutdown,” the top Democrats continued.