US House Speaker blames Senate top Democratic leader for government shutdown

WASHINGTON

US House Speaker Mike Johnson placed blame on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Thursday for a government shutdown.

“Welcome to day two of the Democrat shutdown,” Johnson told reporters on Capitol Hill.

“Let’s make absolutely clear what’s happening here. Real pain is being inflicted upon the American people because 44 Democrats in the Senate have voted, for the third time, to reject the completely non-partisan, completely clean, very simple, 24-page continuing resolution that we passed in the House here two weeks ago,” he said.

The federal government officially entered a shutdown at midnight Wednesday after lawmakers failed to break a deadlock on funding legislation. Senate Democrats again blocked a House-passed stopgap funding bill on Wednesday that would reopen the government until Nov. 21.

Johnson accused Schumer of reversing his position on short-term funding for political reasons, accusing him of “trying to avoid a challenge from his left flank” in his next Senate reelection.

“He wants to avoid the scrutiny that he received for doing the right thing back in March, because the far-left and the base really went crazy on poor Chuck Schumer, and so he changed his tune,” Johnson added.

Republicans need Democratic support to pass the spending plan, but Democrats are demanding that measures to keep health care costs down be included in the budget.

While a shutdown does not automatically result in a full-blown economic crisis, it creates major disruptions for many aspects of American life.

Many federal employees will be furloughed, or forced to work without pay, while others will be placed on mandatory leave until a new budget is approved. Each federal agency has its own shutdown plan, determining which government employees are essential.

Unlike past shutdowns, President Donald Trump has threatened layoffs if the government shutters.

Trump said Thursday that the Democratic Party gave him an “unprecedented opportunity” to slash more jobs at federal agencies, while blaming them for the shutdown.

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