President Donald Trump on Tuesday accused Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats of \u201cholding the entire federal government hostage\u201d amid the ongoing shutdown, vowing that Republicans would not bow to what he called \u201cextortion\u201d over spending demands. Speaking during a lunch event in the White House Rose Garden, Trump criticized Democrats for refusing to pass a short-term continuing resolution that would reopen the government. \u201cChuck Schumer and the Senate Democrats need to vote for the clean, bipartisan CR and reopen our government,\u201d Trump said. \u201cThey are the obstructionists. And the reason they\u2019re doing it is because we\u2019re doing so well \u2014 we\u2019re doing well all over the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
The shutdown, now in its 21st day, began after Democrats rejected temporary funding over disputes involving immigration enforcement, border operations, and cuts to housing and climate programs. As hundreds of thousands of federal workers remain furloughed or unpaid, Trump has placed direct blame on Schumer, dubbing the stalemate \u201cthe Schumer shutdown.\u201d The president mocked Schumer\u2019s leadership and claimed he was \u201closing in all the polls,\u201d even to progressive members like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Trump argued that Democrats were protecting \u201cwasteful programs\u201d his administration has sought to eliminate. Praising budget director Russell Vought, whom critics have nicknamed \u201cDarth Vader,\u201d Trump said, \u201cHe\u2019s cutting Democrat priorities, and they\u2019re never going to get them back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Calling on Democrats to \u201cstop the madness,\u201d Trump urged them to end the impasse, insisting the U.S. economy is thriving under his leadership. Republican lawmakers echoed his position, accusing Democrats of using the shutdown to block immigration reforms. Democrats countered that Trump was using the crisis to expand executive power and impose steep domestic spending cuts. With neither side willing to compromise, negotiations remain deadlocked, and federal agencies warn that key benefits and operations may soon be delayed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
President Donald Trump on Tuesday accused Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats of \u201cholding the entire federal government hostage\u201d amid the ongoing shutdown, vowing that… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2288,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2287","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n