Disgraced pedophile Jeffrey Epstein is to blame for the government shutdown, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer claimed on Sunday.
Schumer said House Speaker Mike Johnson Sunday cared more about blocking the release of Epstein’s files than negotiating a compromise to end the government shutdown.
Appearing on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” Schumer said Johnson’s decision to send lawmakers home on recess proves he is not serious about striking a deal with Democrats.
“Look, Johnson’s not serious about this. He sent all his congressmen home last week and home this week,” Schumer told CBS News’ “Face the Nation.”
“How are you going to negotiate? The reason he sent them home is he is more interested in protecting the Epstein files than protecting the American people from the health care crisis.”
Johnson dismissed the charge on NBC’s “Meet the Press” and said Schumer was to blame for the shutdown. Democrats have repeatedly voted against proposed government funding bills, Johnson pointed out.
“It’s totally absurd,” the Louisiana Republican said. “This has nothing to do with that. It’s another red herring.”
“The reason the government is closed because Chuck Schumer and 43 of his Democratic colleagues in the Senate have decided now to vote multiple times to keep the government closed,” Johnson said.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune called Schumer a “feckless leader” on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo.”
Schumer’s “rank-and-file members shouldn’t follow his lead on this,” Thune said. “This is where you need to separate from your leader and actually do the right thing for your constituents and for your country.”
Johnson has kept the House out of session during the government shutdown as a pressure tactic. Last month, the House passed a continuing resolution to fund the government through Nov. 21. The clean funding bill has gained 55 votes in the Senate but needs 60 to break the Democratic filibuster.
All but three Senate Democrats voted against the proposal last week. Republicans need eight Senate Democrats in total to support the plan.
Thune said Democrats will have another opportunity Monday to vote on the House-passed “clean” continuing resolution.
“I’m hoping that some of them have a change of heart,” Thune said. “The Democrats need to come to that realization and understand their option in front of them here is to open up the government, and then we can talk about all these other things they want to have a conversation about.”
Thune called Democrats’ plan, which includes $1.5 trillion in new spending that includes healthcare for illegal immigrants a “nonstarter.”
Democrats have demanded a reversal of GOP-backed Medicaid reform enacted earlier this year under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, now the Working Families Tax Cut Act, and an extension of enhanced Obamacare subsidies set to expire at the end of the year.
Johnson and Thune have been open to a bipartisan deal on the Obamacare subsidies, but have been adamant that it be delinked from the partial shutdown.
“There’s a lot of points to be made on that, and we’re ready to talk about, negotiate, and do all of that, but they’re trying to create that as a red herring here right now,” Johnson said. “There has to be reforms to that subsidy, because there’s a lot of fraud, waste and abuse involved in it. We’re not saying that we won’t negotiate it. We’re saying turn the lights back on in Congress.”
Johnson has not “staked out a position” on whether he will back extending the enhanced Obamacare spending, which was enacted during the COVID-19 era under the Biden administration, but stressed he wants the program reformed.
Vice President JD Vance and Republicans insist Democrats are holding the government hostage over their desire to provide health care to illegal immigrants. Democrats reject the claim.
The government has been shut down since last Wednesday, the first time the government has shut down since early 2019.