White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday that Democrats have no justification for blocking a clean continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government funded. Speaking on Fox News, Leavitt stressed that President Donald Trump is only asking for a commonsense extension at current spending levels.
“All we are asking for is a common sense, clean funding resolution — a continuing resolution to keep the government open,” Leavitt explained. The proposal, she noted, would simply extend spending at today’s levels, adjusted for inflation. “There is zero good reason for the Democrats to vote against this, especially when the Democrats have voted for this 13 previous times, as recently as March.”
The press secretary said Trump invited Democrat leaders to the White House for one last attempt at compromise. “Now is not the time to try to get political points against Donald Trump,” she warned, calling on Democrats to “do right by the American people and keep the government funded.”
Leavitt emphasized that vulnerable Americans will be the first to feel the impact of a shutdown, something the administration is working to prevent. “Everybody knows this, and that’s why Republicans and the President want to keep the government open,” she said.
Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD) echoed the White House message during an interview on Breitbart News Daily. Johnson accused Democrats of holding government funding hostage to demand COVID-era benefits that are no longer justified.
“They want us to extend COVID-era enhanced premium tax credits … some people making 400 percent, 500 percent, 600 percent of poverty,” Johnson explained. “COVID has been gone for five years. … The Democrats are saying, we are going to ransom a six-week short term funding package … unless we continue the COVID-era giveaways. It’s insanity.”
Johnson concluded that the shutdown crisis is “manufactured by Chuck Schumer,” underscoring Republican claims that Democrats are prioritizing politics over stability.
