Trump's new shutdown excuse: 'Most of the people not getting paid are Democrats'
As the partial government shutdown enters its sixth day, President Trump seemed to suggest Thursday that most of the federal employees going without pay are Democrats.
Trump continued to insist on Twitter that the government can't re-open until Democrats agree on the $5 billion he has demanded for his proposed border wall. But this time, he added, "Do the Dems realize that most of the people not getting paid are Democrats?"
About 380,000 federal employees have been furloughed, and 400,000 more have been forced to work without pay, because of the shutdown, which began when Trump refused to sign a stopgap spending bill that didn't contain the $5 billion he wants for his border wall, per ABC News.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Trump seems to now be suggesting that most of the affected employees are Democrats, either in an attempt to dismiss the significance of their struggles or to pressure Democrats into caving to his demands. Trump had previously attempted to pin the shutdown on Democrats, despite previously pledging he would take the blame for it. "I am proud to shut down the government for border security," Trump told Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Dec. 11. "I will be the one to shut it down."
-
A Nipah virus outbreak in India has brought back Covid-era surveillanceUnder the radar The disease can spread through animals and humans
-
Nasa’s new dark matter mapUnder the Radar High-resolution images may help scientists understand the ‘gravitational scaffolding into which everything else falls and is built into galaxies’
-
Is the US about to lose its measles elimination status?Today's Big Question Cases are skyrocketing
-
Rep. Ilhan Omar attacked with unknown liquidSpeed Read This ‘small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work’
-
Democrats pledge Noem impeachment if not firedSpeed Read Trump is publicly defending the Homeland Security secretary
-
The billionaires’ wealth tax: a catastrophe for California?Talking Point Peter Thiel and Larry Page preparing to change state residency
-
Hegseth moves to demote Sen. Kelly over videospeed read Retired Navy fighter pilot Mark Kelly appeared in a video reminding military service members that they can ‘refuse illegal orders’
-
Trump says US ‘in charge’ of Venezuela after Maduro grabSpeed Read The American president claims the US will ‘run’ Venezuela for an unspecified amount of time, contradicting a statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio
-
Bari Weiss’ ‘60 Minutes’ scandal is about more than one reportIN THE SPOTLIGHT By blocking an approved segment on a controversial prison holding US deportees in El Salvador, the editor-in-chief of CBS News has become the main story
-
CBS pulls ‘60 Minutes’ report on Trump deporteesSpeed Read An investigation into the deportations of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador’s notorious prison was scrapped
-
Trump administration posts sliver of Epstein filesSpeed Read Many of the Justice Department documents were heavily redacted, though new photos of both Donald Trump and Bill Clinton emerged
