WASHINGTON – The Senate failed to advance a Republican bill Thursday aimed at paying essential federal workers during the ongoing government shutdown, as the impasse between the White House and Democrats continued over healthcare policy and funding. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer sharply criticized President Trump, accusing him of being detached from domestic struggles as he prepares for a trip to Asia.
Schumer, speaking on the Senate floor, highlighted concerns over anticipated increases in health insurance premiums and the prolonged government closure. “We are staring into the abyss of the health care crisis hear in America, and what is Donald Trump doing as we stare into the abyss of the health care crisis?” Schumer asked. “He’s flying off yet again to another corner of the world while people’s premiums are set to skyrocket here at home.”
The New York Democrat also pointed to reports regarding the president’s financial dealings, referencing a project to renovate the White House East Wing and a reported $230 million settlement sought from the Justice Department related to past investigations. “While Americans are agonizing over their health care, Donald Trump is using the presidency to reach into the taxpayers’ till and put money in his own pocket,” Schumer stated.
The president is scheduled to depart Friday for a trip to Malaysia, Japan, and South Korea.
Schumer placed the blame for the shutdown squarely on Republicans. “The shutdown is on Donald Trump’s back, and the American people know it,” he said. “They know that Republicans have the presidency,the House and the Senate,and the shutdown is on them.” He dismissed Senator Ron johnson’s bill to compensate essential workers as a “ruse,” arguing it would not resolve the broader issues causing the shutdown.
“It doesn’t end the pain of the shutdown. It extends it,” Schumer said. “The only way to pay every federal worker is for Republicans to get serious, sit down with Democrats, avert their health care crisis and reopen the government.”
