Connecticut leaders reacted after last-minute negotiations in Washington crumbled Friday night, leading to a federal government shutdown that halts all but essential operations.
Connecticut’s Democratic congressional delegation placed blame on the Trump Administration and Republicans.
Senator Chris Murphy claimed that the reason for the shutdown was Republicans refusing to sit down and work out a budget alongside Democrats and argued that short-term spending bills were not a viable solution.
"Republicans asked to be given control of the White House, the Senate, and the House of Representatives,” the senator said in a statement. “They got it, and this is what America gets – total, complete dysfunction. The continuing resolution President Trump is trying to force down our throats is terrible for Connecticut – it guts funding for community health centers, inadequately funds our state's military contractors, and may lead to the deportation of thousands of immigrant kids. Instead of punting and passing a fourth continuing resolution, President Trump and Republicans could choose to sit down and write a real budget with Democrats this weekend, but they are refusing. That's really sad.”
Senator Richard Blumenthal also criticized Republican leadership. His statement read, in part:
“Congress must do its job. Serious talks and compromise by the Republican leadership and the President could have avoided this self-inflicted crisis – and still can. Governing month to month through short term extensions has the effect of a slow motion shutdown – short-changing and damaging our military, health care and opioid addiction programs, disaster relief, as well as protection of Dreamers. There is bipartisan consensus behind every single major issue before us: defense spending, funding for the opioid crisis and pensions, disaster relief, community health centers, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and avoiding mass deportation of the Dreamers. I will continue to call for good faith negotiations, but only Senator McConnell can call these measures for a vote and end this self-inflicted crisis."
The Senate failed to get the 60 votes needed on a motion that would have ended debate and proceed to a final vote on the short-term funding bill. The final tally was 50-49.
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The Republican-controlled House passed the continuing resolution, or CR, Thursday night, which would have kept the government open for another month. Both parties blamed each other in the chaotic close to Donald Trump’s first year as president.
"And Mr. President...what we just witnessed on the floor was a cynical decision by Senate Democrats who shoved aside millions of Americans for the sake of irresponsible political gains. The government shutdown was 100 percent avoidable...completely avoidable,” argued Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky).
During the shutdown, most federal buildings will close and employees will be furloughed. Long-term responses to natural disasters will also hit the pause button. The IRS’s automated processes will continue, but anything requiring people, such as customer service, will close.
On the flip side, military operations will continue, although some training exercises may stop. TSA agents and air traffic control will continue work. The United States Postal Service is an independent agency so its operations will not be affected. And veterans hospitals have already been funded.
Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy says the state has made preparations to mitigate the impacts of the shutdown as much as possible.
“Connecticut has made preparations to mitigate the impacts of the Trump shutdown as much as possible. My office has been in contact with agency heads and contingency plans have been updated. But unless the President and Congressional Republicans do their job, Connecticut residents who work for the federal government will not be paid, contractors will be laid off, and loans to Connecticut small businesses won’t be made,” he said in a statement.
The Democrat also placed blame for the shutdown on President Trump and his Republican allies.
“This shutdown lies squarely on the shoulders of President Trump and his GOP allies in Congress, and their tactics could not be more cynical. A bipartisan agreement exists that would keep the federal government open while ensuring protection for Dreamers and extending the Children’s Health Insurance Program. But instead of working together and adopting a commonsense solution, Republicans are digging their heels in and holding hostage health insurance for nine million kids, including 17,000 in Connecticut,” Malloy said in a statement.
Rep. John Larson also released a statement, which read in part.
"Republicans control the House, Senate, and the White House, yet they could not fulfill the most basic of function of governance – keeping the federal government open. We have gone from stopgap to stopgap without any meaningful attempt from Republicans to work bipartisanly on a long term budget agreement. In the process they’ve failed to adequately fund disaster relief and address the opioid crisis, left the immigration status of 700,000 Dreamers in limbo, and put the health care of millions of kids, including 17,000 in CT at risk."
The last time the government shut down was in 2013, and it lasted 16 days. Both parties are expected to return to the Capitol over the weekend to begin considering three-week version of a short-term spending measure.
