Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D\u2013NY) is facing bipartisan backlash after he declared that the ongoing federal government shutdown is \u201cgetting better for us every day,\u201d prompting sharp condemnation from the White House and Republican lawmakers.<\/p>\n
The controversy erupted Thursday after Punchbowl News reported that Schumer told colleagues the prolonged shutdown\u2014now entering its second week\u2014was politically beneficial for Democrats. The shutdown began after negotiations collapsed over Democrats\u2019 push to restore health care funding for undocumented immigrants, a measure Republicans have rejected as \u201creckless and unfair to taxpayers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery day gets better for us,\u201d Schumer said, according to Punchbowl News. \u201cIt\u2019s because we\u2019ve thought about this long in advance, and we knew that health care would be the focal point on Sept. 30, and we prepared for it\u2026 Their whole theory was \u2014 threaten us, bamboozle us, and we would submit in a day or two.\u201d<\/p>\n
The remark was followed hours later by a heated exchange on the Senate floor. Schumer accused House Speaker Mike Johnson (R\u2013LA) of \u201ckilling his own constituents\u201d by refusing to reopen the government on Democratic terms.<\/p>\n
\u201cHear that, Mr. Speaker?\u201d Schumer shouted. \u201cGood Americans in your own state\u2026 will die. All because the Speaker chose to keep the House on vacation rather than negotiate with Democrats and end their Trump shutdown. Shameful.\u201d<\/p>\n