White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders released a blistering statement late Friday night on the Senate Democrats blocking funding the federal government in favor of amnesty for illegal alien DACA recipients. Sanders made clear the Trump administration is putting Americans first in the budget negotiations while the Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, were shutting down the government in favor of illegal aliens over American citizens.
The Schumer Shutdown went in to effect shortly after midnight Saturday.
.@chuckschumer:"This will be called the #Trump shutdown because there is no one, no one who deserves the blame for the position we find ourselves in more than @POTUS." pic.twitter.com/4nIgR8DnNN
— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 20, 2018
The House continuing budget resolution to fund the government through February 16 (and the Children’s Health Insurance Program for six years) failed a cloture vote in the Senate on a largely party line vote, 50 to 49. All Democrats voted against cloture except Senators Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Doug Jones of Alabama, Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Joe Manchin of West Virginia. All Republicans voted for cloture except Jeff Flake of Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Mike Lee of Utah. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky voted no for procedural reasons. An absent John McCain of Arizona did not vote.
Sanders’ statement:
Senate Democrats own the Schumer Shutdown. Tonight, they put politics above our national security, military families, vulnerable children, and our country’s ability to serve all Americans. We will not negotiate the status of unlawful immigrants while Democrats hold our lawful citizens hostage over their reckless demands. This is the behavior of obstructionist losers, not legislators. When Democrats start paying our armed forces and first responders we will reopen negotiations on immigration reform. During this politically manufactured Schumer Shutdown, the President and his Administration will fight for and protect the American people.”
Official White House statement on #SchumerShutdown pic.twitter.com/2PiPz2rJ3J
— Kayleigh McEnany 45 Archived (@PressSec45) January 20, 2018
The government shutdown comes on the one-year anniversary of President Trump’s inauguration.
