Democratic Congresswoman Says Republicans Will Bear Responsibility If Government Funding Expires
Democratic Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell stated unequivocally on MSNBC’s “The Weekend” that Republicans would be responsible if the government shuts down. Her remarks come as a critical government funding deadline looms, with President Donald Trump scheduled to meet with congressional leaders just a day before the September 30 expiration.
Dingell’s stance echoes Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who has been insistent that Senate Democrats should not back any funding bill that does not incorporate more than $1 trillion in Democratic priorities. With any funding bill requiring 60 votes in the Senate, Democratic support is essential.
“The president has not met with the Democratic leaders since he became president,” Dingell said. “And it was a very stupid thing to cancel the meeting last Thursday, because if there is a shutdown, it is going to be a Republican shutdown.” RELATED: White House Showdown: Trump To Meet Top Congressional Leaders As Shutdown Looms
President Trump had canceled a meeting with top Democrats last Thursday, asserting that Republicans should not yield to what he described as “unserious and ridiculous demands.”
Dingell stressed the need for Democrats to push back against Republican policies, which she claims have already harmed millions of Americans, particularly concerning healthcare.
“We have got to start to stand up. The big blank bill, I’ll behave on TV, has ripped health care away from millions of Americans,” Dingell said. She warned that the expiration of the Affordable Care Tax Credit at the end of the year, coupled with the exchange opening on November 1st, would further hurt “countless millions of families.”
Senate Democrats mirrored their House colleagues by voting to block the GOP’s “clean” stopgap funding bill—a continuing resolution without Democratic priorities—with only Sen. John Fetterman dissenting. Schumer reaffirmed his opposition to any measure that excludes those priorities.
This hardline position comes despite Schumer backing a GOP-led spending bill in March to avert a previous shutdown, a move he defended by saying avoiding a shutdown mattered more than his political standing. The looming Monday meeting between President Trump and the top four congressional leaders will be a crucial final opportunity to bridge the divide before the deadline.
READ: Schumer Vows Legal, Legislative Fight To Stop Trump’s Deployment Of Troops To Oregon
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