WASHINGTON – Maryland Democratic lawmakers Wednesday urged Republican leaders to cooperate in bringing about a bipartisan end to the ongoing government shutdown.
“The president is not serious about resolving this issue,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D- Maryland, said at a press conference on the United States Capitol’s East Lawn. “We are.”
Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, D-Maryland, said the Republicans “have the keys to the kingdom.”
An impasse over funding the government partially shuttered services and programs across the country at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday. There were no signs of any progress during the first day of the shutdown.
Republicans said they have crafted a nonpartisan spending bill, insisting the Democrats want to include other provisions including providing health care for illegal aliens. Democrats countered that it is unlawful to provide health care for those in the country illegally. But Democrats want a commitment to extend COVID-era Obamacare tax breaks, estimated to cost around $350 billion over the next decade.
“For the first time since the Democrats have been in politics, they’re now saying that ‘unless we get every policy item that we demand, we’re going to shut down the people’s government,’” Vice President JD Vance told reporters at the White House. “They’re trying to take a hostage and we’re not going to let ‘em.”
Maryland’s Democrats in Congress, appearing together at the Capitol press conference, blamed Republicans for the shutdown.
“Virtually since the day I got here, it has been the intention of this administration to get to this day,” Alsobrooks said.
Rep. Andy Harris, the lone Republican in Maryland’s congressional delegation, echoed the opinions of other Republican leaders in attributing the government closure to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York.
“The Democrats chose to shut the government down over free health care for illegal aliens,” Harris said in a social media post.
“This has nothing to do with illegal aliens,” Rep. Kweisi Mfume, D-Maryland, said.
GOP leaders held their own press conference Wednesday, even though most Republican House members were not in town.
“Every single bit of this was entirely avoidable,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, said. “Democrats could have worked with us in a bipartisan manner to avert this unnecessary and harmful shutdown, but instead they…prioritized taxpayer-funded benefits for illegal aliens.”
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that about 750,000 federal employees will be furloughed during the shutdown.
“They don’t deserve to bear the brunt of this shutdown,” Van Hollen said, accusing the administration of using federal workers as “pawns.”
Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Maryland, claimed Republicans used a “policy of leverage and force” to push for a government shutdown at the expense of federal employees.
The administration has threatened to fire a large number of federal workers if the shutdown occurred, continuing its efforts to downsize the federal government.
“If this thing drags on…we are gonna have to lay people off,” Vance warned at the White House.
Although both parties have claimed they are willing to negotiate, discussions seem to have reached an indefinite stalemate.
“We have been here each and every day trying to find a deal…to reopen the government today, but not at the expense of 20 million Americans who are due to have…increases in their health insurance costs,” said Rep. Sarah Elfreth, D-Maryland.
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