Government shutdown begins and so does the finger-pointing
WASHINGTON (AP) – The government shutdown has begun. So has the finger-pointing.
President Donald Trump says Democrats wanted to give him “a nice present” to mark the one-year anniversary of his inauguration.
He says Democrats “could have easily made a deal but decided to play Shutdown politics instead.”
In a series of tweets hours after the shutdown began, the president is trying to make the case for Americans to elect more Republicans in the November elections “in order to power through this mess.”
It’s a striking display of Washington’s dysfunction as the shutdown halts all but the most essential operations.
Congress has scheduled an unusual Saturday session to begin considering a three-week version of the short-term spending measure – and to let the public know they’re at work as the shutdown starts.
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