US government shutdown: Republican Party blames Democrats for blocking budget as Trump goes on the attack
The President has also placed the responsibility on Democrats for the situation
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Your support makes all the difference.With the government shutdown entering its third day, the Republican National Committee has targeted Democrats up for re-election in 2018 over the halt in federal funding as President Donald Trump goes on the attack.
The RNC’s campaign is targeting Senators Bill Nelson of Florida, Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin – all of whom represent states that Mr Trump won in the 2016 presidential election.
The five senators being attacked voted against a measure that would have funded the government for another four weeks. The bill failed on Friday night, sending the government into a shutdown.
Democrats and Republicans are now playing the blame game, with both parties accusing the other of causing the closure as they fight to avoid voters’ anger ahead of the 2018 midterm elections.
Republicans have billed the event “Shumer’s Shutdown”, referring to Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer.
On Monday, Mr Trump retweeted his own Saturday post in which he also placed the responsibility on Democrats for the situation.
“Democrats are far more concerned with Illegal Immigrants than they are with our great Military or Safety at our dangerous Southern Border. They could have easily made a deal but decided to play Shutdown politics instead. #WeNeedMoreRepublicansIn18 in order to power through mess!”
“End the Democrats Obstruction!” he added on Monday.
The RNC’s effort included calls to 2.6 million voters in those five battleground states about the shutdown as well as a digital component with paid targeted Facebook posts, according to The Hill.
“It is infuriating, it is petty, and YOU deserve better from your elected official,” a robo call to people in all five states says. “Demand that your Senator do their job — vote to fund the government, support our military, and provide healthcare for millions of American children.”
Several Democrats have made it clear that they will not vote for a spending measure unless it includes protections for undocumented migrants brought to the US as children – the so-called “dreamers”.
Over the weekend, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) also launched a digital ad against five Senate Republicans, accusing them of causing the shutdown.
Of the five, two of them are up for re-election in 2018: Senators Ted Cruz and Dean Heller of Nevada.
Mr Heller is considered to be the most likely Republican to lose his seat this year.
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