WASINGTON: US President Donald Trump has blamed Senate Democrats for the government shutdown, which is now in its 31st day.
“The shutdown proceeds because the Democrats just don’t know what they’re doing. I don’t know what’s wrong with them,” Trump told reporters Friday in the state of Florida. “They’ve become crazed lunatics.”
The ongoing government shutdown began on October 1 following a stalemate between the White House and Congress over federal spending and budget allocations. The dispute centers on funding priorities tied to immigration enforcement, defense, and social programs.
Trump said he wants to meet the Democrats, but first they have to open the government.
“I’m always willing to meet; all they have to do is open up the country. Let them open up the country and we’ll meet. We’ll meet very quickly,” he said.
The Senate failed to advance a Republican-backed funding bill to end the shutdown for a 13th time after falling short of the 60 votes needed to move forward.
“Everything is their fault. It’s so easily solved. You know, we have a number of Democrats that have already voted for this, but the Republicans are very unified,” Trump said.
The Republicans are calling for five “reasonable” Democrats to join them to reopen the government.
With no agreement reached, non-essential federal agencies have remained closed, leaving hundreds of thousands of government employees furloughed or working without pay. The 31-day impasse has become the second-longest shutdown in US history, with growing pressure on both parties to reach a compromise.
