Shutdown Blame
The Democratic National Committee claims that Republicans are to blame for the government shutdown because they “control the House,” “control the Senate,” and “control the White House.”
IN FACT, House Republicans passed a bill to fund the government, but Senate Democrats have effectively filibustered it. This has stalled the bill in the Senate, even though it received 55 out of 100 votes, including all but 1 of the Republicans, 2 Democrats, and 1 Independent.
Democrats have a competing bill that would open the government but also make permanent a temporary Covid-era handout that increased Obamacare subsidies and “repeal health care provisions that were included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”
To pass either bill will require 60 votes due to Senate rules. A majority could also employ the nuclear option to do away with the filibuster, but that would destroy a long-standing principle that requires senators to reach a level of consensus before passing certain bills.
