By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
Friday, Senate Democrats led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., blocked a continuing resolution to keep the federal government funded. Democrats refused to support any continued funding of the government unless Republicans gave in to their demands over keeping President Barack Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which expires in March, in place.
U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Alabama, reacted strongly to Senate Democrats’ failure to support HR195, the Continuing Resolution to keep the government funded.
“It is unacceptable that Democrats would vote against a measure to keep our government open to do the work of the American people,” Sen. Shelby said. “I do not believe that shutting down the government is a solution to the problems we face as a country. A shutdown is destructive to the American taxpayer, no matter the circumstances. Republicans are working hard to keep the government running, and we also want to approve a long-term reauthorization of CHIP, which provides millions of children with needed health insurance coverage. While a long-term funding measure is preferred, this CR would allow Congress the ability to continue ongoing and proactive negotiations in an effort to approve a bipartisan, bicameral funding bill.”
In addition to maintaining government operations at current funding levels until Feb. 16, the CR included a six-year re authorization of the Child Health Insurance Program. CHIP is particularly important to the state of Alabama because 150,000 Alabama children are dependent on CHIP. The measure failed to pass a procedural motion in the Senate but was approved by the House of Representative on Thursday night.
“Democrats have chosen partisan politics over funding our government, funding our troops, and providing health insurance to low-income children and pregnant women,” Shelby said. “The American people deserve better.”
Shelby blamed Democrats for causing the government to shut down for the first time since 2013.
Government funding expired at midnight Jan. 19. Federal agencies’ and departments’ abilities to carry out important work – like fighting the opioid epidemic, reducing the veterans’ claims backlog and paying our men and women in uniform – will be suspended as a result.
Five mostly red state Democrat senators, including Sen. Doug Jones, D-Ala., broke with their party and voted with Republicans for the C.R. Four Republicans, however, voted with the Democrats, thus the narrow Senate Republican majority did not come close to the 60 votes needed to shut down the Democrats filibuster. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., also switched his vote to “No” at the last minute so that under Senate rules, he can make the motion to reconsider the motion to end the filibuster. Sen. John McCain, R-Ala., is absent receiving medical treatment for his brain cancer, so the vote was 50 to 49. 60 votes is what is needed.
President Donald Trump tried to broker a deal with congressional leaders to avoid the shutdown but failed.
After it became apparent that a compromise was not going to succeed, the president said on Twitter, “Not looking good for our great Military or Safety & Security on the very dangerous Southern Border. Dems want a Shutdown in order to help diminish the great success of the Tax Cuts, and what they are doing for our booming economy.”
The Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said in a statement, “Senate Democrats have let down our troops, our children, and all Americans. They will do anything to appease their base, even shut down the federal government. There is nothing in this bill to keep the government open that Democrats actually oppose, and yet they are blocking it nonetheless in a dangerous political ploy. All of this is just unnecessary. It is reckless. Senate Democrats have brought us to a shutdown.”
This showdown is politically dangerous for both parties; but according to a CNN poll, 56 percent of the American people support funding the government rather than shutting it down over DACA. Only 34 percent support shutting the government down over DACA.
McConnell and the president will continue to negotiate with Democrats over the weekend. If no deal can be reached, then hundreds of thousands of non-essential federal workers will not report to work on Monday.
The military and homeland security will both remain at work; though their pay may be delayed if the shutdown is lengthy.
Original reporting by Fox News and CNN contributed to this report.
