Schumer and Pelosi chide Trump for triggering shutdown with 'temper tantrum'
Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) castigated President Donald Trump on Saturday for the federal government shutdown that kicked in at the stroke of midnight.
In a joint statement released overnight, both lawmakers pointed their fingers at the commander in chief for what they dubbed "the Trump Government Shutdown."
"Republicans control the House, the Senate, and the White House," they said. "But instead of honoring his responsibility to the American people, President Trump threw a temper tantrum and convinced House Republicans to push our nation into a destructive Trump Shutdown in the middle of the holiday season. President Trump has said more than 25 times that he wanted a shutdown and now he has gotten what he wanted."
The senators argued that their party has made numerous attempts to avert the crisis, which was prompted in part by Trump's demands for $5 billion in funding for the southern border wall, despite the fact that a partial barrier already exists. While a spending bill including that measure passed the GOP-led House, it was inevitably dead on arrival in the Senate.
Related: Congress tries to avert a partial shutdown
The problem, Schumer and Pelosi contended, was Trump's unrealistic and unreasonable plans for a wall.
"Democrats have offered Republicans multiple proposals to keep the government open, including one that already passed the Senate unanimously, and all of which include funding for strong, sensible, and effective border security – not the president's ineffective and expensive wall."
In the event that the government is not up and running soon, the senators vowed to "swiftly pass legislation to re-open" it in January once the House flips to a Democratic majority.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost
