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.
Congressional Democrats are steering the government toward a shutdown after blocking a short-term spending bill that would have extended current funding levels originally set under Joe Biden. Despite the measure’s bipartisan nature, Democratic leaders appear unwilling to accept a clean continuing resolution (CR), choosing instead to demand policy concessions with little chance of success.
The U.S. Labor Department announced Friday that it will suspend publication of key economic reports—including the monthly jobs report, the Consumer Price Index (CPI), and the Producer Price Index (PPI)—if Congress fails to avoid a government shutdown. The move would deprive businesses, investors, and policymakers of critical data used to gauge the economy.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) used his Friday appearance on MSNBC’s The Briefing to argue that while health care is a major sticking point in the looming government shutdown, the larger problem is what he called the Trump administration’s “unconstitutional” conduct.
On CNN’s “State of the Union,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said President Donald Trump is refusing to negotiate, making a government shutdown all but certain and laying responsibility firmly at his feet. Schumer argued that the Republican bill being advanced lacks any input from Democrats and is entirely partisan, claiming that Trump's leadership has blocked the kind of negotiation that used to avert shutdowns in past administrations.
As the deadline approaches, the U.S. government faces a potential partial shutdown due to a standoff between Senate Democrats and Republicans over a funding bill.
