(The Center Square) – New York Democrats and Republicans are trading blame over who is responsible for shutting down the federal government after the two parties failed to agree on a new spending bill.
The federal government shut down at midnight Wednesday as Congress failed to resolve a dispute over spending, leading to the first lapse in funding in nearly seven years. Federal agencies are expected to cease all nonessential functions, sending most government employees home on furloughs.
Republicans are pushing to fund the federal government at current levels until Nov. 21, but Democrats are seeking a shorter-term funding bill with a lengthy list of concessions, including an extension of Obama-era federal health insurance tax credits.
Gov. Kathy Hochul held a rally with other top state Democrats on Wednesday morning, with the Statue of Liberty in the background, to blame Republicans for the shutdown and said it will impact federal workers living in the state and services that “vulnerable” New Yorkers depend on, from food pantries to services for veterans and the disabled.
“After voting to gut food assistance and health care for millions of New Yorkers, Republicans in Congress – including seven members from New York – are once again recklessly siding with Donald Trump to shut down the federal government,” Hochul said. “Republicans were given another chance to stand up for their constituents, yet they chose to leave town rather than work in good faith to avoid a government shutdown.”
Hochul praised members of the state Democratic congressional delegation, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, for pushing to rollback health care cuts. She said Trump’s agenda would strip 1.5 million New Yorkers of health coverage, put 300,000 “at risk” of losing SNAP benefits and saddle the state’s hospitals with over $3 billion annually in uncompensated care costs.
The governor said the state won’t provide stop-gap funding to keep the Statue of Liberty and nearby Ellis Island – which are operated by the National Park Service – open to the public during the shutdown.
Attorney General Letita James, a Democrat, also blasted Republicans for the government shutdown and said New York won’t bend to the White House’s demands on immigration enforcement or other divisive policies.
“This shutdown is another example of more chaos and confusion and pain to New Yorkers,” James said. “So for all those members of Congress who purport to represent New York, where are you? Where are your interests? Why are you not defending the state?”
Republicans fired back at claims by Democrats that they were responsible for grinding the federal government to a halt.
“The bottom line is simple: Republicans are keeping the government open. Democrats are holding the economy hostage,” Rep. Mike Lawler told CNN Tuesday night. “House Republicans acted responsibly. We passed a clean, short-term funding bill, no policy riders, no new spending, just a bridge to keep the government open while negotiations continue.”
Rep. Elise Stefanik also pointed the finger at Democrats, saying they voted against the GOP spending bill “because Chuck Schumer got absolutely walloped earlier this year by the radical far left because he voted to fund the government.”
“Once again, New York Democrats, cheered on by Kathy Hochul, are putting hard-working New Yorkers and Americans last because they are forcing a government shutdown by concocting an unrelated policy issue that doesn’t even come up legislatively until the end of the year,” Stefanik posted on social media, saying she plans to not accept her pay during the shutdown. “Democrats own this shutdown lock, stock, and barrel.”
