Democrats and Republicans are engaged in a fierce verbal exchange following the shutdown of the United States government, after Congress and the White House failed to reach a deal to extend federal funding.
Kamala Harris stated that President Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans folded the government because they refused to stop Americans’ health care costs from rising.
“Let me be clear: Republicans are in charge of the White House, House, and Senate. This is their shutdown”, the former Vice President and presidential candidate wrote in a post on X Tuesday night.
The situation was caused by Republicans’ refusal to “negotiate with Democrats and do their job,” said Sen. Patty Murray of the Senate Appropriations Committee, while Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York told Republicans to “prioritize families over billionaires.”
According to Rep. Jamie Raskin, of the House Judiciary Committee, “MAGA’s government shutdown was totally avoidable,” while Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas argued that Republicans “chose chaos” despite possessing every tool to govern.
But the Republicans have pushed back in a statement on X, accusing their Democrat colleagues of “putting illegal aliens first and hurting hardworking Americans in the process.”
Sen. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming advised the Democrats to stop political games and “do the right thing” by voting to keep the government funded. Rep. Juan Ciscomani of Arizona warned of the shutdown’s impact on seniors, veterans, jobs, and homes.
The latest US government shutdown comes nearly seven years after that of December 2018 – January 2019, which occurred during President Donald Trump’s first tenure after the legislature split over the U.S.–Mexico border wall.
At the White House on Tuesday, Trump informed reporters that positive things could come from the shutdown and gave an indication of the retaliatory actions he might take against the left wing.
“We can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible, that are bad for them and irreversible by them,” he said. “Like cutting vast numbers of people out, cutting things that they like, cutting programmes that they like.”
For the time being, some services regarded as non-essential will be paused, while essential employees, including aviation and health workers, law enforcement officers, and military personnel will keep working without pay.
Meanwhile, the White House website currently has a ticking clock reading the duration of the government shutdown, as well as an assertive caption: “Democrats Have Shut Down the Government.”
Democrats, Republicans trade words as US government shuts down