WASHINGTON — New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker expressed pride in his party’s leadership over their handling of the government shutdown fight, which has left a torrent of government workers without pay.
The Garden State Democrat, who has repeatedly voted against GOP-backed, bipartisan legislation to reopen the government, faulted Republicans for not caving to his party’s demands on healthcare policy.
“I am proud of those people who are standing up right now and saying, we’re not doing business as usual in Washington with this many millions of Americans are literally going to be hurt,” Booker told ABC News’ “This Week” when asked if Democratic leadership should do more to end the shutdown.
“We are in a crisis. We need a president to stand up and bring us together to help to solve the problems of American people.”
Last month, the GOP-led House passed a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government through Nov. 21.
All but three Senate Democrats refused to relent on the filibuster, blocking the CR from getting a vote. The filibuster requires 60 votes to break. So far, only up to 55 senators voted to break the filibuster during various procedural votes.
Democrats have demanded Republicans reverse their previously passed Medicaid reforms and extend the enhanced Obamacare subsidies that are set to expire at the end of the year in order to fund the government.
Republicans have indicated that negotiations on the Obamacare subsidies will take place after the shutdown flap and have insisted that the two issues be bifurcated.
“I don’t care about the blame game,” Booker contended. “I care about Americans losing their health insurance, rates of death going up, hospitals being crushed, medical services ending in places in rural America. This is a tsunami of Donald Trump’s creation.”
GOP leaders have alleged that the Dems’ demands could cost as much as $1.5 trillion over the next decade.
Booker blasted Republicans for not negotiating.
“You’ve seen Chuck Schumer go to the podium, negotiate with us, almost begging the president to bring the parties together, like he said, Donald Trump literally has said, it’s the president’s responsibility to bring the parties together and negotiate a way through,” the New Jersey Democrat said.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has kept the lower chamber out of session during the shutdown, insisting that it has already “done its job” by passing the “clean” CR last month.
Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has repeatedly brought up votes on the “clean” CR.
The government entered a partial shutdown last Wednesday for the first time in over six years.
So far, neither side has shown signs of blinking.
