Republican National Committee Chair Joe Gruters on Tuesday blasted Senate Democrats for voting for the eighth time to keep the government shut down, accusing them of “withholding pay and benefits” from U.S. troops and vulnerable Americans while President Donald Trump “delivered” by ensuring military pay and protecting food assistance for mothers and children.
“For two weeks, these 44 Democrats have been withholding pay and benefits for our brave servicemembers and American citizens in need,” Gruters said in a statement.
“While Senate Democrats like [Sen. Jon] Ossoff [D-Ga.] and [Sen. Ruben] Gallego [D-Ariz.] shut down the government, President Trump has delivered by paying our troops and protecting the WIC food program for mothers and children.”
The shutdown, which began Oct. 1, has stalled paychecks for thousands of civilian federal workers and threatened benefits programs while prompting sharp partisan recriminations on Capitol Hill.
Trump last week directed the Office of Management and Budget to reallocate funds to cover the pay of active-duty military personnel whose paychecks were due Wednesday.
The White House also announced that it will redirect tariff revenue to maintain the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children during the impasse.
Gruters’ statement came shortly after Senate Democrats again blocked a House-backed stopgap funding measure to reopen the federal government.
The continuing resolution (CR) passed by a 49-45 vote Tuesday, well short of the 60 votes needed to break a filibuster.
Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Angus King, I-Maine, continued to break rank and vote with Republicans on the CR, which would extend funding through Nov. 21.
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., who has typically supported the CR, did not vote, nor did one other Democrat and four Republicans.
Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky was the only Republican to vote against the bill.
The shutdown has stretched into a third week amid a partisan standoff over Affordable Care Act subsidies.
Senate Democrats have insisted that any funding measure include an extension of premium tax credits set to expire at year’s end, but the White House has opposed tying healthcare provisions to short-term spending bills.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said in a brief interview Tuesday that he doesn’t think more Democrats are “ready quite yet” to vote for the GOP stopgap bill, Politico reported.
“But there’s still a lot of conversations that are happening,” Thune said. “I think they’re trying to find a way,” he added.
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