The White House blamed Democrats Oct. 6 for prolonging the government shutdown as both parties’ funding proposals failed in the Senate, leaving federal workers without pay and programs on the brink of running out of money.
A Republican-backed measure fell 52-42, with three members of the Democratic caucus — Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, and Angus King of Maine — again joining Republicans. A Democratic proposal that included provisions to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies and funding to offset Medicaid cuts under the Big Beautiful Bill also failed, 45-50.
At a White House press briefing Oct. 6, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt accused Democrats of “continuing to play political games” and warned that “millions of American federal workers are under enormous financial stress as a result, wondering how they will pay their bills and take care of their families.”
“If Democrats do not vote to open the government tonight, federal workers will not receive their next full paycheck,” Leavitt said.
She also warned that the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) — which provides funding for food and formula to low-income families — “will run out of federal money very soon.” She called on Democrats to back what she described as a “clean and nonpartisan funding bill” that would fund WIC, pay troops, and reopen the government.
“All of this begs the question, what is the Democrat ongoing shutdown truly about?” Leavitt said. “The sad truth we believe is that the Democrats intentionally shut down the government and are inflicting this pain on American citizens to try and demand free health care for illegal aliens.”
She said President Donald Trump has been in regular contact with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and is being kept “very well apprised of the ongoing shutdown on Capitol Hill.”
Responding to reporters in the Oval Office on Oct. 6, Trump said that he is “speaking with the Democrats” and added that if both parties “make the right deal,” then he would agree to it.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., responded that if “Trump and Republicans are finally ready to sit down and get something done in healthcare for American families, Democrats will be there,” NBC News reported.
NBC reported that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. also reacted to Trump’s remarks, saying that he had not heard from Trump, but “we’ll sit down anytime, anyplace, with anyone from your administration, including the president, to get a resolution here with respect to the Affordable Care Act tax credits, which need to be extended right now, as well as dealing with and addressing the Republican health care crisis that is devastating everyday Americans all across the country.”
In an Oct. 5 X post, Johnson accused Democrats of insisting that hospitals be “paid MORE to treat illegal aliens than American citizens” as part of their funding demands to end the shutdown.
The post White House blames Democrats as shutdown standoff continues appeared first on CatholicVote org.